The Fairmont Hotel Jasper Park Lodge has a firmly embedded place in the history of tourism in the Canadian Rockies. Its legacy began in 1915, in association with the Grand Truck Pacific Railway. Originally called "Tent City", it consisted of a few tents on the shores of beautiful Lac Beauvert. In 1922, eight log bungalows were built for guests. Expansion proceeded through 1923, with the addition of the first unit of the main building and additional guest cabins. Some of these original cabins still stand today and they are magnificent. The 1920s saw the addition of Jasper's world-famous golf course, designed by master architect Stanley Thompson. Tourists continued to flock in and by 1940, enough luxurious cabins had been built to house 650 guests. Bing Crosby often visited as did numerous other celebrities. Disaster struck in July 1952, when the original main building, at that time the largest single-story log structure in the world, was destroyed by fire. By September of the same year, the concrete foundation for a new building was poured. Completed in June of the following year, Jasper Park Lodge's new main building features stunning views of its surroundings and epitomizes the Grand Canadian Lodge Experience. Between the early 1940s and early 1950s, most of the original log cabins were replaced with modern attractive cedar chalets. Today, the Lodge consists of the main building and 56 adjacent chalets for a total room count of 446. The addition of boutiques, a sports lounge, dining facilities, and the refurbishing of guest rooms have ensured that The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge will remain a four-season, four-star destination resort well into the new millennium. |
