Ben Bradley, "'A Questionable Basis for Establishing a Major Park': Politics, Roads, and the Failure of a National Park in British Columbia's Big Bend Country," in Claire Elizabeth Campbell, ed., A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011 (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011)

Sourcesources/article-bradley-2011-big-bend-hamber.md

011.4 KBsize
0222lines
031filed with

As written

title
Ben Bradley, "'A Questionable Basis for Establishing a Major Park': Politics, Roads, and the Failure of a National Park in British Columbia's Big Bend Country," in Claire Elizabeth Campbell, ed., A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011 (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011)
type
article
date
2011
url
https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/read/a-century-of-parks-canada/section/248aaddb-627e-4dad-93fb-a26d5be42971
seen
original
access
public

Read 12 Oct 2026 (open access).

  • The Big Bend Highway: agreed by Ottawa and the province in 1929 and begun in 1930; from 1933 "Ottawa was paying for construction of the entire Big Bend road project"; in 1935 Pattullo agreed to maintain it and keep a roadside timber reserve; he opened it at Boat Encampment on 29 June 1940. A travel writer called it "positively the loneliest road in North America." Superseded by the Rogers Pass route in 1962 and later flooded by the Kinbasket reservoir.
  • Hamber Park: "Abruptly and with little consultation, Pattullo issued an Order-in-Council" (September 1941), meaning it as a link between Mount Robson, Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Glacier that Ottawa might take over as a national park; "the federal government showed no interest." Cut to 55,600 acres in 1961 for the Columbia hydro projects.
  • "The creation of provincial parks remained a cavalier process in British Columbia during the early 1940s."

See Duff Pattullo, 22nd Premier of British Columbia: what did he get right, and what did he get wrong?.

  1. ---
  2. title: "Ben Bradley, \"'A Questionable Basis for Establishing a Major Park': Politics, Roads, and the Failure of a National Park in British Columbia's Big Bend Country,\" in Claire Elizabeth Campbell, ed., A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011 (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011)"
  3. type: article
  4. date: "2011"
  5. url: "https://ucp.manifoldapp.org/read/a-century-of-parks-canada/section/248aaddb-627e-4dad-93fb-a26d5be42971"
  6. seen: original
  7. access: public
  8. ---
  9. Read 12 Oct 2026 (open access).
  11. - **The Big Bend Highway:** agreed by Ottawa and the province in 1929 and begun in 1930; from 1933 "Ottawa was
  12. paying for construction of the entire Big Bend road project"; in 1935 Pattullo agreed to maintain it and keep a
  13. roadside timber reserve; he opened it at Boat Encampment on 29 June 1940. A travel writer called it
  14. "positively the loneliest road in North America." Superseded by the Rogers Pass route in 1962 and later
  15. flooded by the Kinbasket reservoir.
  16. - **Hamber Park:** "Abruptly and with little consultation, Pattullo issued an Order-in-Council" (September
  17. 1941), meaning it as a link between Mount Robson, Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Glacier that Ottawa might take over as
  18. a national park; "the federal government showed no interest." Cut to 55,600 acres in 1961 for the Columbia
  19. hydro projects.
  20. - "The creation of provincial parks remained a cavalier process in British Columbia during the early 1940s."
  22. See `pattullo-premiership`.
BeginEnd