Alberta National Parks
Pictorial cancels from post offices nearest to each of Alberta's five National Parks are shown in this post.
Banff National Park
In 1883, Canadian Pacific Railway workers discovered hot springs on the eastern slopes of the Alberta Rockies. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald set aside a small reserve of 26 square kilometres around the hot springs as a public park known as the Banff Hot Springs Reserve in 1885. The park was expanded in 1887 and named Rocky Mountains Park, becoming Canada's first national park. In 1930, the park was renamed as Banff National Park.
Elk Island National Park
Elk Island National Park is located 35 km east of Edmonton. The park is representative of the northern prairies plateau ecosystem, and is home to the densest population of hoofed mammals in Canada.
In 1906 the federal government created a wildlife sanctuary near Fort Saskatchewan called "Elk Park". With elk, mule deer, and moose enclosed within its fenced boundaries, Elk Park became the first federally controlled area in Canada to be enclosed as a big game sanctuary. In 1913, the sanctuary, now called Elk Island Park, was designated as a Dominion Park.
Sherwood Park is the nearest post office to the park having a pictorial cancel.
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park was established in 1907 on the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The park is the largest "Dark Sky Preserve" on the planet.
Canada Post issued an attractive commemorative stamp on July 20, 2007, marking the centennial year of Jasper National Park.
Centennial Year Pictorial Cancel
The Jasper centennial logo was
featured on the pictorial cancel.
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is located in the southwest corner of Alberta and borders Glacier National Park in Montana. In 1895 the area was protected by the federal government as a Dominion Forest Park. Waterton Lakes National Park ecosystem is one of the narrowest places in the Rocky Mountain chain sitting on a key pinch point of the north-south Rocky Mountain wildlife corridor. In 1932, the United States and Canada joined together to create the world’s first International Peace Park: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (WGIPP).
Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park , located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the Canada's largest national park and one of the largest in the world. It was established in 1922 to protect the last remaining herds of bison in northern Canada. Today, it protects an outstanding and representative example of Canada's Northern Boreal Plains.
Wood Bison National
Park location
Fort Chipewan is adjacent to Wood Bison National Park.
