Jasper Historical Society held its first general meeting in January, 1963.  Its early projects included working with Jasper National Park to install a commemorative plaque at Athabasca Pass and to protect heritage items at the Palisades Ranch and Pocahontas cemetery.  The society, renamed the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society (JYHS), established its office and archives in the basement of the Jasper Library.

 

In 1977, JYHS registered as a non-profit, charitable organization:

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• To encourage the study of the history of Alberta and Canada, particularly as it pertains to Jasper and vicinity

• To save from oblivion the memories…to obtain and preserve narratives…of the original inhabitants of the area, including missionaries, fur traders, explorers and settlers

• To collect all data possible on the early history of Jasper town site and its early citizens

• To locate, preserve and mark the local points of historical interest and

• To establish and operate a museum

 

The JYHS started working toward a museum in 1978.

In 1985, they agreed to purchase a partially complete building on Pyramid Lake Road.  In 1990 the lower floor of this structure was complete and the society’s office and archives moved in.  In 1992 the main floor office area, retail outlet and Temporary Gallery were opened and the Permanent Exhibit Gallery, to focus on Jasper’s social and human history entered the planning stage.

 

Today the museum offers an engaging, interactive record of Jasper’s fascinating history.  Our exhibits include the history of the Indigenous and Metis people of the Athabasca Valley; the fur trade-including David Thompson, one of Canada’s foremost explorers; the railway; early mountaineering- including the story of the Silver Ice Axe and first ascent of Mount Alberta and the development of tourism in Jasper National Park. The exhibits in our Showcase Gallery are changed regularly and this year we are partnering with the Lake Edith Artist Group and associates to put together a 100th anniversary exhibit on the artist colony where we will be showcasing stories, art, artifacts, and historic photos of the last one hundred years. This collaborative effort will run from mid-April to the end of October 2021. We will also be hosting a social media competition that asks participants to recreate artwork or photographs in the exhibit in a new and inventive ways.  At the closing of the exhibit, we will have a public vote on the best submissions.

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Visit us so that we can tell “Our Jasper Stories” to you.