Jasper Station part of Canadian railroad history

Jasper Station: Vancouver 534.9 m (miles), Montreal 2408.8 m.

It was the last week of August. When I arrived in Jasper in the late afternoon, the Rocky Mountaineer had just pulled in. This train, which runs from April to October, carries tourists from the VIA station in Vancouver to enjoy spectacular daylight views of the Rockies.

In 1958, my family moved from central Alberta to northern BC, and I glimpsed my first mountains. We changed trains at Jasper. To my eight-year old eyes, that little train station, faced with smooth stones and flanked by views of the Rockies, was a vision of unearthly beauty.

The Athabasca valley was first explored by the great geographer David Thompson in 1810. The Northwest Company (rival of the Bay in fur trading) set up a supply depot. The settlement, known as Jasper House, remained until the fur trade declined.

Jasper Park was created in 1907, and by 1911 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad (later the CNR) reached Jasper, part of a line that would cross the Yellowhead Pass and link Prince Rupert to the second more northerly trans-Canada rail route.

In the fifties, railroad travel was still the norm. Newfoundland, which had joined Canada only six years earlier, had major highway gaps, and so did mountainous British Columbia. In 1956, Parliament reached a cost-sharing arrangement with the provinces, formulating a plan to complete and pave the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) by the nation's Centennial in 1967.

Now, with the expansion of highways and air travel, for most Canadians, long rail journeys are no longer feasible; they are luxuries to be enjoyed by those with money and time.

Though I arrived in Jasper by car this time, I did explore the old station, one of my very special places. Apparently I'm not alone in loving the town. About three million tourists visit every year.