Summer in Jasper, even back in the twenties, was the height of the tourist season. Train after train arrived in Jasper carrying loads of tourists hoping to experience nature at her finest. Most visitors, less eager to forego first class luxuries, stayed close to the rustic, yet indulgent Jasper Park Lodge. The more adventurous would head out for a four or five day trip into the backcountry. Areas like Maligne Lake or the Tonquin Valley, where local outfitters such as Brewster had well established camps that offered visitors the comfort of tent cabins, guided hikes and hot meals. Weiss proved to be a perfect match for the Brewster’s rocky mountain camps and over the years became a favourite among visitors. Weiss describes his first summer job in Jasper: 

At the end of the season we [Weiss and Jean Weber] moved to Jasper [from Ocean Falls, B.C.] with the hope of securing work during the tourist season, we both got engaged as cooks in tourist camps, Jean at Maligne Lake and I at Shovel Pass Camp. At that time tourists were very few, it left me much time to explore the surrounding district and I made the best out of my free time…For me, the summer months passed far to[o] fast, in winter time you could not even [find] a job, all your earnings were gone by the time the next season arrived. After two years at Shovel Pass I secured the position as boat-man at Maligne Lake…(Joseph A.Weiss)

Not only did Weiss work for the average tourist, but he also had brushes with greatness, as the nature of his job often put him in close proximity to visiting celebrities, members of high society, and even Royalty. 

In 1926, 20th Century Fox came to Jasper to film James Oliver Curwood’s novel for the silent screen. The film was shot on location at Maligne Lake and with the assistance of many Brewster employees, in various capacities, filming went smoothly and Jasper proved itself film worthy. The Country Beyond was an exciting tale of a Canadian Mounted Police Officer set on catching a fur thief. The Mountie gets caught up in a love triangle and a moral conundrum ensues. Fortunately, for the Mountie, all is vindicated in the end. 

Olive Borden (1906 – 1947), the film’s leading lady was the ideal Curwood heroine and she was a sure box office draw for the day. Her bold beauty and famous figure had become the ideal for the fashion forward woman of the 20s. Unfortunately, shortly after The Country Beyond, the movie industry changed drastically with the advent of ‘talkies’ and Borden saw her star quickly fade when her distinct southern drawl overshadowed her acting abilities [http://www.oliveborden.com last accessed March 28, 2009]. Regardless, Borden was at the top of her career while in Jasper and was unable to resist the charms of a Swiss gentleman and his camera. Weiss’s fonds includes four photographs of Olive Borden, taken during the filming of a scene and between takes. 

Throughout the thirties, Weiss’s summers were pretty much spent on the trail:

I had a 55 day hunting trip with Mr. John Spreckle heir to the Spreckles Sugar King of California who at that time received 1 million dollars for his 20th birthday. I took him across the Smokey River, up Sheep Creek and we spent a good many days in that district, he got every trophy he was permitted to shoot, except the bear, which he wanted more than anything else. He had what hunters call, the ‘buck fever’. He fired 5 shots without result. Yet he was an excellent shot, he got the Mountain Sheep and Goat. The Moose and Caribou were in the Me[a]dow next to our tent, no difficulty to get them. I was very fond of the beaut[i]ful district of Sheep River…even now I often look at the negatives I took of the district and wish I could do the trip over again. (Joseph A.Weiss)

Weiss filed the photographs for each expedition according to the name of the party and managed to jot a few notes about each trip. Often included in these files are photographs sent to Weiss from his clients of the trip along with letters of appreciation for Weiss’s guidance.

In 1939, Jasper was honoured with hosting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for a special rest stop in Jasper during their Alberta tour. Of course when Royals are involved, security is always high, but Weiss managed to snap some photographs of them, outside their cabin at the Jasper Park Lodge, driving to the train station and on the rear platform of the Royal train prior to their departure. Weiss also captured the large crowds of local residents who came to greet the arrival of their majesties, as well as to bid them farewell. The Jasper population at this time would have been comprised of many British subjects that had moved to Canada and as Canada was constitutionally connected to the Monarch, the visit, for most Canadians, was of great honour. 

Overall, Weiss’s photographs are an excellent example of a legacy that has been carried into the future. Weiss’s winter and summer activities are still some of the same that Jasperites enjoy today and his love for the land, reflected through his photographs, is still appreciated by locals. Weiss’s example of respectfully living Jasper to the fullest is one that should be taken to heart and remind us all of why we, like those before us, have cared so deeply for our little mountain town. Thanks to continued funding from the Alberta Society of Archives and the National Archives Development fund, Weiss’s photographs have found their way into the digital age and will be made available online over the next few months at www.archivesalberta.org or www.jaspermuseum.org or stop by the JYMA for a visit and rediscover the past.