Jasper Park Lodge:

In the heart of the Canadian Rockies

by Cyndi Smith

$9.95

It might lack the monolithic architecture and historical grandeur of the grand railroad hotels in Banff and Lake Louise, but, as Cyndi Smith’s brief history reveals, the Jasper Park Lodge is not lacking in interesting stories from the past. Hardly long enough to be called a book, Smith’s work is nonetheless a reasonably complete retelling of the JPL’s story. The tale of the Lodge site at Lac Beauvert starts in the early part of the twentieth century with the creation of “Tent City”, a summer season luxury campground. Smith, however, begins her timeline before this, recounting the various attempts to build a grand hotel in or around Jasper. Readers familiar with the sometimes arduous process to have developments approved in national parks may be amused to note that the difficulties of bureaucracy and financing were just as prevalent in Jasper’s earliest days. Once the narrative arrives at Tent City, it stays firmly attached to the shores of Lac Beauvert. Jasper and its residents are referred to in passing, but giving readers an idea of how the town grew along with the Lodge would have made for a more complete history. Instead, we are given glimpses of Jasperites attempting to spot Hollywood stars or royalty during their visits to the Lodge, or spectating from across the river as the main building burns to the ground in 1952. Smith’s chapter on that conflagration marks the high point of the “book”. With its tales of personal heroism, devastating injury and the remarkable pace at which the centre of the hotel was reconstructed, this episode is the only truly dramatic incident described. The rest of the tales, while entertaining in their own right, are confectionary and almost lighter than air. The foundational example of this comes in the chapter devoted to the visits of King George VI and several prominent Hollywood stars such as Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe. A focus on Crosby makes good sense, as the actor/crooner made repeated trips to the JPL in order to make films and play in the annual golf tournament. It’s a little more extreme to devote several pages in such a short work to the royal visit, which lasted little more than 48 hours. One wonders if, when a new history of Jasper is penned in 50 years time, as much emphasis will be given to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s lightning trip to our neck of the woods. One final quibble with the book is one that shall certainly be noted by regular readers of the Report on Business. Due to the rapidly changing world of corporate mergers and hostile takeovers, this history of Jasper Park Lodge is several years behind the times in terms of who owns the hotel. Still, this is no journal of boardroom bingo or corporate chicanery, but rather a short read full of bellmen on bicycles, trailblazing outfitters and stories of stunning scenery. Smith knows her subject and her audience equally well, and provides very pleasant circumstances for the two to meet.