History of Parks Canada eLibrary

Welcome / Bienvenue! The History of Parks Canada Electronic Library is a portal to electronic publications covering the cultural and natural history of the Canadian national park system, which includes 46 national parks/reserves, one urban park, over 970 historic sites (171 of which are administered by Parks Canada, which includes nine heritage canals), four marine conservation areas/reserves, and one landmark, along with documents from the history of the agency that has been entrusted to manage this system: Parks Canada/Parcs Canada.

This Website is not affiliated with the Government of Canada/Parks Canada, but is an independent effort to showcase the history of the Parks Canada Agency and the Canadian National Park and Historic Site System.

The information contained in this Website is historical in scope and is not meant as an aid for travel planning; please refer to the official Parks Canada/Parcs Canada Websites for current information.

In celebration of Canada's 150^th birthday, throughout 2017 we will be highlighting the national parks and national historic sites of each province and territory — areas that have been set aside to help capture the unique natural history and rich cultural heritage of Canada.

Bankhead: The Twenty Year Town (Ben Gadd, Calgary, Alberta: Coal Association of Canada, in cooperation with Canadian Parks Service, 1989)

Please Note: Publications produced by Parks Canada, Environment Canada, and Natural Resources Canada are not in the public domain but are copyrighted by the Government of Canada (Crown). The electronic editions of these publications are for non-commercial purposes and do not permit re-use; please respect these copyright-holders by merely linking to this content and not re-posting. Please consult with the appropriate Government of Canada agencies for additional copyright clearance information. Due diligence has been employed in scanning these documents in an attempt to ensure the accuracy of the materials reproduced; however, these should not be viewed as official versions of the original nor having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of Parks Canada, Environment Canada, or Natural Resources Canada. Most of the electronic documents were scanned from the English-language edition of these publications, though we endeavour to provide either dual-language or French-language editions when possible. Copies of License to Reproduce Copyrighted Works Owned by the Crown obtained from these agencies graciously permitting us to host these digital reproductions are on file.