page_title: Prince Albert National Park
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Prince Albert National Park / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The beaver lodge inside Grey Owls cabin.
context_page_description: Prince Albert National Park encompasses 3,874 square kilometres in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located 200 kilometres north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, it had its official opening ceremonies on August 10, 1928 performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. This park is open all year but the most visited period is from May to September. Although named for the city, the park's main entrance is actually 80 km north of Prince Albert via Highways 2 and 263 which enters the park at its southeast corner. Two additional secondary highways enter the park, No. 264, which branches off Hwy. 2 just east of the Waskesiu townsite, and No. 240, which enters the park from the south and links with 263 just outside the entry fee-collection gates.
  It ranges in elevation from 488 m on the western side to 724 m on the eastern side.
  The hamlet Waskesiu Lake is the only settlement within the park, located on the southern shore of the same-named lake. Most facilities and services one would expect to find in a multi-use park are available.
  This Canadian park also contains the cabin of naturalist and conservationist Grey Owl, on Ajawaan Lake.
context_section_description: BP – before present.
  There are archeological traces of pre-history in the park reserve in the form of tools which have been located.
  Early Pre contact (11,000 to 7500 BP)
  Middle Pre contact (7500 to 2000 BP)
  Late Pre contact (2000 to 200 BP)
  Post Contact or Historic (200 BP to Present).
  At Waskesiu Lake was an early Hudson's Bay Company fur trade post between 1886 and 1893.
  In the early 20th century the industries of fishing and logging were carried out in this boreal forested area.  The large 1919 forest fire eliminated the logging industry.
  The park was the subject of a short film in 2011's National Parks Project, directed by Stéphane Lafleur and scored by Andre Ethier, Mathieu Charbonneau and Rebecca Foon.
caption: The beaver lodge inside Grey Owl's cabin.
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