The Beaver Hills Country A History of Land and Life

Graham A. MacDonald

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 to create a complex and diverse landscape. MacDonald relates how climate, water levels, wildlife, vegetation, and fire have shaped the possibilities and provided the challenges to the people who have called the region home.

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.

Reviews

This book 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.

Canadian Historical Review

Table of Contents

  1. Acknowledgments
  2. Introduction: On the Name “Beaver Hills”
  3. Chapter 1. The Character of the Beaver Hills
  4. Chapter 2. Ancient Ways Between Two Rivers
  5. Chapter 3. Traders, Horses, and Bison, 1730-1870
  6. Chapter 4. Visions of the Promised Land, 1870-1905
  7. Chapter 5. Conservation, Communities and Egalitarianism, 1905-1930
  8. Chapter 6. Hard Times and Good Times, 1930-1950
  9. Chapter 7. Postwar Urbanism
  10. Notes / Bibliography / Image Sources / Index

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.

You may also like...