The Beaver Hills Country:
A History of Land and Life

About the Book

This book explores a relatively small but interesting and unusual region of Alberta between the North Saskatchewan and the Battle Rivers. The Beaver Hills arose where mountain glaciers from the west met continental ice-sheets from the east. An overview of the hills’ geography helps us to see the complexity and diversity of landscapes, soil types, and vegetation communities. MacDonald relates how climatic cycles, water availability, wildlife, vegetation, and fire have shaped the possibilities and provided the challenges to those who have called the region home or used its resources: Indigenous people, Métis, and European immigrants.

About the Author

Graham A. MacDonald has worked as a public historian for the Ontario Parks Branch, the Manitoba Heritage Branch, and Parks Canada, and as a heritage planner in Winnipeg. His research includes First Nations history, the fur trade, and natural resource history. He lives in Victoria, B.C.

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Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.

MARC

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DownloadFront Matter

DownloadTable of Contents

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DownloadIntroduction: On the Name "Beaver Hills"

DownloadChapter 1
The Character of the Beaver Hills

DownloadChapter 2
Ancient Ways Between Two Rivers

DownloadChapter 3
Traders, Horses, and Bison, 1730–1870

DownloadChapter 4
Visions of the Promised Land, 1870–1905

DownloadChapter 5
Conservation, Communities and Egalitarianism, 1905–1930

DownloadChapter 6
Hard Times and Good Times, 1930–1950

DownloadChapter 7
Postwar Urbanism

DownloadNotes

DownloadBibliography

DownloadImage Sources

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[The Beaver Hills Country: A History of Land] is well written and incorporates a variety of pictures, graphs, and maps, which add a great deal to the narrative. MacDonald’s strength is his ability to create an accessible narrative that flows easily from section to section and story to story. ... MacDonald's The Beaver Hills Country: A History of Land and Life will be of interest to anyone who has ever spent any time in the region, and to those who would like to better understand the complex interactions between humans and the natural world along Canada's prairie parkland. [read full review, see pp. 369-371]

Peter Fortna, University of Alberta
Canadian Historical Review
Volume 92, Number 2 / June 2011