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Canada's National Parks

Accession number: 
1919.0016
Production Years: 
1919 to 1920

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Holding Institutions: 

Library and Archives Canada: 28mm, 35mm, VHS, Digibeta.

"This scenic film showcases the activities and scenery of two Canadian National Parks in Alberta: Wainright and Jasper. The film presents buffalo, yak and elk, roaming and grazing, along with people picnicking and enjoying the scenery. In 1919, the Canadian government's Department of Public Information hired Pathéscope to produce "Canadian National Pictorial," a weekly newsreel to educate Canadians about the country's geography, industrial possibilities and culture. Canada's National Parks is part of this series, over which the government had editorial control. When the government withdrew its financial support in July 1921, the newsreel stopped production.

There are three news items about some of the activity and scenery in two Canadian National Parks in Alberta.
1. Wainright, Alberta - The Monarchs of the Plains At Home; At Wainwright, herds of buffalo roam freely in a park covering 160 square miles. The animals are seen grazing in the snow; during the winter, they are fed hay and grain twice weekly.
2. Wainright, Alberta - In Canada's Great Buffalo Park; Along with buffalo are herds of elk, yak and cattalo; a buffalo and yak are shown butting heads. Some of the elk are friendly and even eat out of a human's hand.
3. Jasper Park, Alberta - Canadian Editors See Jasper Park; At Jasper Park, the Canadian Editors see the mountains and have a picnic; they are shown at the train station, riding on horseback, visiting Maligne Canyon, and enjoying the lunch and fishing at their picnic. Also shown is Mt. Edith Cavel, named after a heroic British nurse from the Great War. The final shot shows the newspaper "special" descending down the Pacific slope."

Comments: 
"Canadian National Pictorial was a newsreel produced from 1919 to 1921 by the private company Pathéscope of Canada Ltd. The Canadian government funded the newsreel" (source: Library and Archives Canada).