I got the chance to relate with Carrie Bradshaw (of Sex and the City fame) a few weeks ago on a small scale when I joined Meghan Powers at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives to work on my story about the Jasper Internment Camp. Meghan gave me a tour of the artifacts in the basement, and I was honoured to be allowed to get up close to Jasper’s treasures – and breathe in the years and years of history hidden from most of the public. It reminded me of a scene from the movie where Carrie says she loves the way library books smell. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find a similar experience in the basement of the museum. It reminded me of my grandparent’s basement at their home in Red Lake, Ont., where I was born and lived until age nine. The basement had little treasures and antiques tucked away in every corner. Those of you lucky enough to have grandparents close by with spaces filled with old treasures, I recommend asking if you can go take a sniff (weird advice, I know). 

Since my museum tour I have found myself with a number of historic stories on my list each week, and I have been able to dig deeply into the history of Jasper. I realize that I now know more about Jasper than I do about my original hometown of Kimberley, B.C. Hopefully that gives me some street cred with the long-time Jasper residents.

Jasper really does have an awesome history, and I have found surprises at every corner. Looking into the history of Old Fort Point, I was excited to discover it was once a Free Camp designated by the Pierre Elliot Trudeau government to help young Canadians discover their country in the ‘70s.

I recently interviewed Fay McCready, who was honoured by the Willmore Wilderness Foundation for her and her late husband Tom’s contributions to outfitting in the area. I loved listening to her tales of heading out into the Tonquin Valley on horseback, and perusing through old photos from the outfitting trips. I admired the beautiful horses and scenery. It made me wish I could bring my own horse to Jasper from his home in B.C. and take off into the wilderness just like Fay and Tom did. 

In reading other stories done by the Fitzhugh’s own Carrie – White that is – I learned about the Moberly family, and felt the heartbreak they must have had when they were turfed out of their home, and labelled as squatters on land they had probably held before Canada became a country. 

The Jasper Internment Camp is a part of Jasper’s history, that although controversial, should be remembered so the same mistakes are never repeated – just like the Moberly story. One bit of the internment history I loved was the tale of the two young girls who brought the plate of doughnuts to the men during their hunger strike. It’s amazing that little details like that have survived this long.

Looking back in history made me think of the recent history that is being made. The museum holds copies of Jasper’s newspapers, and it’s really cool to think that someday, some intrepid journalist might flip through copies of the Fitzhugh, and see my name. 

If you are reading this paper from the future, tell me, how does it smell?  

DISCLAIMER: The Last Word is an opinion column, it is meant to provoke thought and debate. As such, any opinions written here are the writers own and do not reflect the viewpoint of any other Fitzhugh staff member or the directors of the Jasper Media Group Inc.