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

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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

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Traders, Horses, and Bison, 1730–1870

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Visions of the Promised Land, 1870–1905

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Conservation, Communities and Egalitarianism, 1905–1930

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Hard Times and Good Times, 1930–1950

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Postwar Urbanism

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