My Dad works for the Canadian National Railway, and ourfamily moved to Jasper because of his work. I think living in theRocky Mountain region is like living in the middle of a silverycrown. In the Rocky Mountains, you can see snow on the mountaintops, even during the summer.

My new friends at school pointed out a mountain called RocheBonhomme (rosh boh num), a French phrase that means “goodfellow rock.” It is also called Old Man Mountain. If you stand inJasper and look up at the mountains in the northeast, you will seewhat looks like a sleeping man. Whenever I leave my house, I always look up at him and silently send him my greetings.

On my birthday, I was given my own camera. I took the pictureyou see here and many others. This is a beautiful area in all fourseasons. My photos tell part of Alberta’s story.

The RockyMountain Region

What makes the Rocky Mountain region a unique partof Alberta?

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I think you can really seethe side view of the sleepingman’s face in this photo ofRoche Bonhomme.

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What I Want to Know…What I Want to Know…

…About theRocky Mountain Region

How can wedescribe geography?

Why do we havenational parks?

What do you valueabout the RockyMountain region?

Why is coalimportant in Alberta?

Why are we learningabout Alberta’sgeography?

Why is it importantto protect naturalareas?

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The Rocky Mountainregion begins at thesouthwestern borderof Alberta. It is part of the Rocky Mountainchain. The mountainsrun northwest andsoutheast along thewestern side of NorthAmerica.

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The Formation of theMountains

Scientists tell us the Rocky Mountains started to form about 120 million years ago. Two huge pieces of the Earth’s crust, calledplates, slowly pushed against each other. Large islands the size ofAlberta rode on one plate. These big islands pushed on the westernedge of North America.

The land was slowly squeezed. It moved about as fast as yourfingernails grow. Land that was once beneath ancient seas waspushed upwards to the sky. Some slabs of rock broke and slid overothers. In other places, the rock layers folded over. It took about 75 million years for the Rocky Mountains to form.

A big island rides on aplate moving east.

The island pushes hard,like a bulldozer.

Rock layers are pushedupwards, forming theRocky Mountains.

North America is aplate moving west.

PausePause

1. Find the descriptivewords on this pagethat explain howthe powerfulgeological forces of the Earth shapedthe land. Whatother ways couldyou demonstrate or explain theseforces?

This is Mount Kidd.Imagine the Earth’smoving crust folding and pushing the rockto form the mountains.

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Ice AgesAt different times over the Earth’s long history, there have been

ice ages. These were times when the Earth cooled. Glaciers, riversof ice over one kilometre in depth, formed. The glaciers flowed outto the plains where they met up with thick sheets of ice blanketingthe land. When the Earth got warmer, the glaciers retreated, orshrank back.

The last ice age ended 12 000 years ago. Moving glaciers carvedthe land and smoothed the lower parts of the mountains. They leftpiles of rocks in their path.

PausePause

1. Look at the photo.Is the glacieradvancing orretreating andshrinking? Whatcould cause thesechanges?

The sign in this photo shows where the Athabasca Glacierreached in 1948. Today, the glacier is about two kilometresfrom the sign.

conclusionsDraw

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22

Geography

My class is learning about the geography of Alberta. Geographyis the study of the Earth’s surface and environment. The parts ofgeography we are exploring are shown on our web.

Geography

PausePause

1. Examine thepictures and labelson this page. Writea sentence toexplain or makepredictions abouteach part of theweb. For example,“Climate is...” or “I think vegetationis...”

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How can we describe geography?

Landforms Bodies of Water

Climate

VegetationNatural Resources

Animal Life

Chapter 02 5/5/06 3:40 PM Page 22

LandformsI was eager to research the Rocky Mountain region. I used chart

paper and photos to present part of our region’s story to my class.

Rocky Mountain Landforms Landforms are the natural features of a landscape.

Mountains are the highest landform. This is Mount Columbia, thehighest mountain in Alberta. The photo was taken by a climbingteam in the summer.

I saw some bighorn sheep in a valley. Valleys are low areassurrounded by hills or mountains.

Cypress Hills is a small pocket of the RockyMountain regionfound insoutheasternAlberta. Theclimate andvegetation ofCypress Hills issimilar to thoseof the RockyMountains.

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Bodies of WaterWhen a large amount of water collects in a location, it forms

a body of water. Oceans, rivers and streams, and lakes are examplesof bodies of water.

The Rocky Mountain region has many mountain lakes, streams,and waterfalls. Many rivers that flow across western Canada start atthe mountains. Water is also stored in the form of ice and snow. A glacier and an icefield are examples of this.

The Columbia Icefield

Over manyyears, rapidlyflowing waterwears rock away.People from allover the worldvisit the MaligneCanyon andwaterfall inJasper NationalPark.

My parents took us for a drive to the area near the ColumbiaIcefield in Jasper National Park. One guidebook says the icefieldcovers nearly 300 square kilometres and is 365 metres thick. That’sabout 120 classrooms high!

The Columbia Icefield is what remains of our last ice age. It is animportant source of water in Alberta today. Its meltwater feeds ourstreams and rivers.

The Columbia Icefield is like a huge bowl of ice overflowing withlarge glaciers. The glaciers flow into different valleys.

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Alberta Rivers

PausePause

1. Why do you thinkthe ColumbiaIcefield is soimportant?

Much of Alberta’s water is stored and released bythe Columbia Icefield. The meltwater feeds streamsand rivers that eventually pour into the Arctic,Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans.

You can see themeltwater at thebottom of the photothat has come from the glacier at the top of the photo.

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ClimateClimate is the pattern of weather of a place over time. It

includes temperature and precipitation. Precipitation is theamount of moisture that falls from the air, such as rain and snow.

The Rocky Mountain region has the most snowfall and thecoldest average temperatures in Alberta. High up in the mountains,from spring to fall, the average temperature is 6 degrees Celsius.Lower down, it is warmer, with an average of 12 degrees Celsius.

Jasper Tramway

Top station

Bottom station

Difference

Height

2277 m

1304 m

973 m

11˚C

20˚C

9˚C

Temperatureon July 5

On any given day, the weather can vary greatly. It can changefrom hour to hour or depending on how high up in the mountainsyou are.

I have a story I call “My Wintry Summer Day.” One day lastsummer, my family took the tramway up The Whistlers, a mountainnear Jasper.

It was so hot at the tramway station, I took off my summerjacket. At the top, I put it right back on! The sun was shining, butthe wind was cold. We saw patches of snow on the north side ofthe mountain.

My brother and I raced up the steep trail. The wind kept gettingstronger, and the higher we got, the colder it was. Mom came tothe rescue with extra clothing for us.

Elevation is the height ofthe land. Higher-elevationareas tend to be cooler andhave more precipitationthan lower areas.

PausePause

1. What is thedifference betweenclimate andweather?

2. Why was Dilpreetable to experiencesuch different kindsof weather on thesame day?

It can snow on any day ofthe summer at the top ofthe mountains.

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Vegetation

Aboriginal KnowledgeLong ago, First Nations people began

using different parts of plants for medicines.Rose roots provided drops to cure snowblindness. Fireweed leaves, shown in thisphoto, helped ease the pain of bruises.

Plants from the mountains werevaluable for trading. Today, someAboriginal people use plants for medicinesand cooking, and as a part of someceremonies. Many medicines and foods are used today because of First Nationsknowledge. Willow bark, for example, has a key ingredient that is used in aspirin.

I have taken lots of pictures of thevegetation on The Whistlers. The plantsthat grow naturally in thearea change as theelevation changes. Lowerdown, the trees are taller.The higher up you go, thesmaller the vegetation.

Near the top, on thesouth side, there are just tiny plantshugging the rock. Trees and someplants stop growing the further up you go. Going up the mountain is like travelling north, all the way to the Arctic.

Along the way, I saw signs askingpeople to stay on the paths. Someplants, even the ones only a fewcentimetres high, can be hundreds of years old. Stepping on them causesdamage that can take many years torepair. Picking plants is not allowed in the park.

These plants must be hardy.They live where there arestrong winds and little soilor warmth.

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Natural Resources

Natural resources are materials found in nature that are used bypeople to make life easier and more enjoyable. Many people havejobs gathering and making products from natural resources. Coal isone of the natural resources found in the Rocky Mountain region.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, coal was an important fuel forheating. It was burned to create heat. The heat turned water to steam.Steam power was used to move engines and for manufacturing,which is the process where raw materials are made into products.

The Leitch Collieries A colliery is a mine and its buildings. Leitch Collieries, a coal

mining operation, was started in 1907. The town of Passburg wasbuilt for the mine workers and their families. Communities oftenform where natural resources are located.

Other types offuel became popularand the coalbusiness decreased.By 1926, the minewas closed. Therewas no work, so thepeople moved away.The buildings weremoved to otherplaces.

Why is coal important in Alberta?

Today, people live inthe Crowsnest Passarea, but Passburg no longer exists.

FACTSFACTSCoal is still used inAlberta today to createpower for machines insteel and cementfactories. Most is usedas fuel in power plants.Some coal is sent toother provinces, andsome is exported toother countries.

FastFast

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Mining Disasters There are dangers when mining coal. Workers can face cave-ins,

deadly gases, and accidents. Piikani hunters would not camp on Turtle Mountain. They tried

to warn settlers about the mountain that moved. However, coalmining was startedand the town of Frankwas built.

Coal miningactivities deep in themountain, weather,and water in thecracks of the rocksmay have loosenedthe rocks. Themountainside becameunstable. In 1903, a rock slide on Turtle Mountain buried part ofthe town of Frank. News of the Frank Slide was sent by telegramslike these:

APRI L 29, 1903ROCKFALL 500 FEET DEEP AND OVER 1 SQUARE M I LESTOP M INERS TRAPPED STOP ESTIMATED 70 PEOPLEM ISS ING STOP SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY STOP

APRI L 30, 1903AMAZ ING RESCUE STOP CANADIAN PAC I F IC RAI LWAYWORKER NAMED S ID CHOQUETTE RACES ACROSS FALLENROCKS STOP HE FLAGS DOWN PASSENGER TRAIN STOPTRAIN HALTS BEFORE COLL ID ING WITH SL IDE STOP ALLL IVES SAVED STOP

APRI L 30, 190317 M INERS TRAPPED INS IDE MOUNTAIN STOP THEY

ESCAPE AFTER 14 HOURS BY TUNNELL ING UPWARDS

STOP HOUSE OF ALEXANDER LE ITCH H IT BY SL IDE

STOP H IS 3 YOUNG DAUGHTERS SURV IVE STOP

APRI L 29, 1903COLLAPSE OF TURTLE MOUNTAIN STOP TOWN OF FRANK

HALF BURIED STOP NUMBER OF V ICT IMS UNKNOWN STOP

FACTSFACTSPeople used to sendmessages and news by telegram. They usedtelegraph machines tosend out electric pulsesover telegraph wires.Operators receiving themessages would thentranslate the code intowords.

FastFast

Many of the homes in the town of Frankwere destroyed by the rock slide in 1903.

Chapter 02 5/5/06 3:40 PM Page 29

Our AdventureRailway work was hard. We were digging through solid rock

and were glad for a day off. Frank McCabe, my brother Tom, and I went exploring.

We found ourselves slogging through a swampy place at thebase of a mountain. As we went, we noticed something unusual.The icy mountain water was getting warmer and warmer.

We were also aware of a sulphur smell, like rotten eggs.Curious, we followed that smell up the mountain. Suddenly, we saw it—an opening to a cave!

We made a ladder using a tree with the branches broken off.We lowered ourselves into the cave and found rocky icicleshanging from the ceiling. Below, there was steam rising from the surface of the hot water.

Afterwards, we started thinking. If we bought the land, wecould build a hotel. Tourists from around the world could comefor both the hot springs and the scenery. If tourists came, wecould become rich!

30 NEL

Finding a Hot Spring

In 1883, William McCardell and two companions were a part ofthe crew that was building Canada’s first cross-country railway.One day, while off duty, they explored Sulphur Mountain. This is astory of their adventure as McCardell might have told it.

Why do we have national parks?

FACTSFACTSThe water that formsthe hot springs firstsinks down in thecracks of the rocks. Ittravels three kilometresand is heated as it goestowards the hot centreof the Earth. As a result,it expands and returnsto the surface inside thecave as a hot spring.The smell is caused byminerals from the rocksthat have beendissolved in the water.

FastFast

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PausePause

1. Do you think it ispossible to have atownsite and touristfacilities and stillprotect the naturalenvironment?

2. What have wegained by having a national parksystem? Why isit important toprotect our nationalparks?

People and PlacesPeople and Places

31NEL

Banff, Canada’s FirstNational Park

There is evidence at sites near the hot springs that First Nationspeople were there more than 10 000 years ago. The Piikani andNakoda (naa ko daa) people used the area as a peace ground fortrading groups. The Nakoda people also used the springs as a placeof healing.

The government of Canada did not allow McCardell and hiscompanions to buy the land. Instead, in 1885, the governmentdecided to set aside the area as Canada’s first national park. Theycreated Canada’s national park system to control the use of naturalresources. They began to focus on protecting natural areas such asthe Rocky Mountains. The parks are for everybody to learn aboutand enjoy natural areas, now and in future generations.

Banff and TourismBy the late 1800s, the hot springs in Banff were

attracting bathers. Sightseers came for thespectacular scenery. The railway station and theBanff Springs Hotel had been constructed.Mountain climbers and guides arrived in growingnumbers.

Today, millions of people come from all overthe world to Banff National Park. The townsite hashotels, motels, restaurants, and shops. Nearby,there are facilities for skiing and golfing. Visitorscanoe, hike, and photograph nature. In winter, they can ice climband cross-country ski.

There are museums that specialize in local history. People canvisit the Cave and Basin, known as the birthplace of Canada’snational parks. This is a national historic site. National historicsites honour people, places, and events in Canada’s history.

Signs in Canada’s national parks arein both of Canada’s officiallanguages—French and English.Many park employees speak bothlanguages.

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Jasper National Park

Jasper Park was established in 1907. To protect the naturalenvironment, the government made the land a forest reserve. In 1930, the area was declared a national park and the parkboundaries were set.

Mary Schäffer Mary Schäffer, from the

United States of America,visited the area that is nowJasper National Park. Shehad heard thrilling tales ofwilderness adventures andwanted to see the Canadianmountains.

In 1908, she and a smallgroup set out in search of a beautiful lake in the heart of themountains. She had a map that had been hand drawn for her bySamson Beaver. He and other Nakoda people knew this lake as Caba mne (cha bah mnay), or Beaver Lake.

Mary Schäffer wrote of her experiences. “There burst uponus…the finest view any of us had ever beheld in the Rockies…miles and miles of lake, the unnamed peaks rising above us,…eachmore beautiful than the last.” The lake Mary Schäffer wrote aboutis now called Maligne Lake and is a world-famous location.

People and PlacesPeople and Places

Why is it important to protect natural areas?

NAMES IN ALBERTA

When Mary Schäffervisited the mountainsin 1908, she namedLeah Peak and SamsonPeak after her friends.

This photo of Samson,Louise, and LeahBeaver was taken byMary Schäffer in 1907.

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Animal LifeOver two million visitors from around the world visit Jasper

National Park every year. More people means hotels, campgrounds,and recreation sites are busier. About half the people working inJasper are in businesses related to tourism.

Everyone wants to hike and bike the trails. They also want tosee the wildlife, such as mountain sheep, mountain goats, foxes,wolves, coyotes, and bears.

With all this activity,habitats, or the naturalhomes, of the animalschange. Some animalstry to move further awayfrom the people. Someanimals becomeendangered. This meansthey are at risk ofdisappearing.

Many people inJasper National Parkwork to keep a balancebetween protectingnature and animal life,while allowing people to enjoy the park.

PausePause

1. What do you thinkis the mostimportant role ofCanada’s nationalparks system?

2. How could visitorsexperience the parkwithout harming it?Brainstorm yourideas.

Park guides teach people about theanimals and the environment.

There are thousands ofelk in Jasper NationalPark.

and knowWhat I think1SK

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Grizzly Bears

In school, we worked on an inquiry about animals in nationalparks that led to questions and action. Everybody chose a differentJasper National Park animal to research. I chose the grizzly bear.

From my research, I learned that grizzly bears are well-suited tothe natural environment of the Rocky Mountain region. Even so,their population is decreasing. I wanted to know why.

Grizzly Bears1. Territory

a) low elevations in springb) move higher up in the summerc) hibernate in dens in winterd) travel inside and outside the park

2. Fooda) dig for rootsb) eat small mammalsc) eat berries (200 000 buffalo berries per day!)d) fishe) eat weak or young hoofed animals

• mista

hayak • le grizzli • igRzlI ir@C • grizzlybär • orso grigio • grizzly bear • mista

hayak • le grizzli • igRzlI ir@C • grizzlybär

Inquiry

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35NEL

PausePause

1. How did Dilpreettake action to helpthe grizzly bears?

2. What might happento the grizzly bearsif no action is taken?

I talked to some people working for Parks Canada. I asked, “What are

I learned grizzly bears have large territories. Some travel alongthe Athabasca River valley looking for berry patches and mates.The highway and railway are also located here. These bears are indanger of being struck by a vehicle or train.

The park warden told me grizzlies have a keen sense of smell.If people leave out garbage or food at picnic sites, campgrounds, or in their yards in town, the bears are attracted to it.

Once the bears have had people food, they will come backlooking for more. If they stay near roadside picnic spots, they mightbe hit by cars. These bears become problem bears and may have tobe relocated or put down. These are some of the reasons why thegrizzly bear population is decreasing.

I thought about what could be done to help save the grizzlypopulation. Whose responsibility was it to help? Was there anythingI could do?

I remember never to leave foodor garbage lying around outdoors.

I remind my mom and dadto drive slowly in areaswhere there is wildlife.

I made posters and put themon bulletin boards in town.

Chapter 02 5/5/06 3:41 PM Page 35

some of the reasons why the grizzly bear population is decreasing?”

What Have We Learned?We studied the geography and some of the history of the Rocky

Mountain region. We learned that coal is an important natural resource.We also found out about our national park system. It helps

protect and preserve the natural environment for everyone toenjoy. Even so, human activity affects the natural environment.

In his inquiry on pages 34 and 35, Dilpreet did research to findout why the grizzly bear population is declining. He shared ideasabout how to take action to help the grizzlies.

Inquiring1. Tour guides are people who take visitors in a region to visit

interesting places. The Rocky Mountain region has many tourguides. Tour guides collect interesting stories to tell about theplaces they take visitors to.

Many of these stories are about why names were chosen forspecial places. Sometimes, place names have been changed overtime. Sometimes, there are two different names for the same place.Use library resources or visit www.nelson.com/albertasocialstudiesand click on the link to learn more about some of these places.

Which stories do you find interesting? Choose stories abouttwo different place names to share with others. How will youtell the stories to make them sound interesting? Share storieswith a classmate.

Developing Your Thinking2. The author of this newspaper

article from the EdmontonJournal called the Canadiannational park system a legacy.A legacy, or a bequest, is aspecial gift that is handeddown to other generations.

Think about what we gainbecause of our national parklegacy. Think about what wewould lose without ournational parks. In yournotebook, write the headings“Gains” and “Losses.” List key ideas under the headings toexplain your thinking. Give your work a title.

Almost 120 years ago,Canada’s first national park,Banff, was created as a bequestto future generations. Today, ourcherished network of parks isstruggling to cope.

November 7, 2004

Canada’s parks:an endangered legacy

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informationFind

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Appreciating Our Alberta 3. Look back at the questions on the strips of paper found throughout

the chapter. Think about how much you have learned!Now, it is time to share what you appreciate about our

Alberta. Write or draw your ideas to answer these two questions:

Reflecting4. Dilpreet is the first of six Alberta students who will share

information about Alberta’s regions with you. We have alreadystarted to ask and answer questions about Alberta. You areparticipating in activities to help you learn more about thegeography of Alberta. Think about and discuss this question:

The Alberta ProjectThe Alberta Project

Dilpreet has shared some of his photos with you. Now, it is yourturn to make a photo collection. Your goal is to show ways the RockyMountain region is unique.

Find pictures in magazines, brochures, and on the Internet. You canalso draw and colour your own pictures. Arrange your pictures onposter paper and write a caption for each.

Some of your pictures should show

• geographical features that result from geological forces

• the natural environment (vegetation and animal life)

• summer and winter recreational activities

Make your captions lively and interesting toshow how you value this region.

What makes the Rocky Mountain region a unique partof Alberta?

What do you value about the Rocky Mountain region?

Why are we learning about Alberta’s geography?

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