cultural tourism Archives | Carol Patterson

Do you know more than a fifth grader about First Nation’s history?

December 17, 2019 by CarolPatterson 1 Comment

Do you know more than a fifth grader about First Nation’s history?

I didn’t which is how I came to be at St. Eugene Resort near Cranbrook, British Columbia.

This is a great resort for golfing, hiking or going to the spa, but perhaps the most memorable vacation experiences come from learning about First Nation’s history and the dark period in Canada’s past where children were ripped from their families and their culture destroyed.

It sounds (and is) depressing but the Ktunaxa are focused on healing and the future. They want guests to learn about their culture while enjoying a special holiday. They have turned the former residential school into a tool to teach culture and create economic wealth. To learn why you should visit, read my recent story in Family Fun Canada here.

Learning First Nation skills is vacation fun

Haida and Parks Canada partner against invasive species

December 11, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

How are the Haida Nation and Parks Canada tacking invasive species? Together as seen in my story, A Fine Balance, for Earth Island Journal’s winter issue.

Invasive deer threaten cedar trees used by Haida carvers

Invasive species are one of our biggest ecological challenges but they also have have cultural implications. Black-tailed sitka deer have no predators in Haida Gwaii; their numbers have increased dramatically and they eat the understory. Young cedar trees, important to the Haida for cultural uses, never get the chance to grow larger because deer graze them.

Only 12 visitors at a time can land at Gwaii Haanas watchman sites

Learn how Parks Canada and the Haida Nation are partnering to use science and indigenous knowledge to eradicate invasive rats and deer in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site by reading about the three part plan to eradicate rats and deer and restore salmon habitat here.

Cinnamon buns and ghost stories in Gwaii Haanas: watchmen provide cultural connections

August 23, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

The moss-covered path in Canada’s remote Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site seemed deserted until a tall, black-haired Haida man stepped from behind a giant cedar. He was watching me.

Canada’s largest ghost town a harbinger of a post-oil future?

November 10, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

One of the best historical attractions I’ve seen is the ghost town of Val-Jalbert in Quebec’s Saguenay– Lac-St. Jean Region. Val-Jalbert in the 1920s was a bit like Fort McMurray of today – a bustling town built around one industry. Damase Jalbert built a pulp mill near two falls on the Ouiatchouan River in 1902, the tumbling water a cheap source of electricity. American shareholders bought the mill in 1909 and modernized the facility. Skilled mill workers lived in a master planned community with homes boasting electricity, water and indoor toilets. A worker would make $25 a week but pay only $11 a month for a large home. A convent school and post office were within walking distance. It is said that the living standards were the equivalent of people living in Boston in 1921 and the town was the envy of surrounding communities.
Unfortunately, the plant only produced pulp and without the ability to produce paper could not compete globally. The mill was closed in 1927 and workers were forced to downsize their lifestyles as they looked for work in nearby Chicoutimi. Val-Jalbert lay dormant until it was converted to a tourism attraction in the 1960s. With over forty buildings remaining it is the largest ghost town in Canada. For a night I was one of seven temporary inhabitants – several of the homes having been converted to tourism accommodation – and I wondered if I was getting a glimpse of Alberta’s world post-oil.

During the day Val-Jalbert interpreters acted out the roles of 1920s residents although the ‘mayor’ was driving the tram that shuttled visitors along Rue St-Georges, something I’m sure the real mayor didn’t do. The mill had interpretative signage and an immersive spectacle with a hologram-like presentation making me feel the original residents had come back to life.

I didn’t run into any ghosts that night but I enjoyed wandering the empty tree-lined streets alone after dark. The mill was silent but the natural beauty of the falls remained. I could picture some of the 900 residents sitting on their porch a century earlier listening to the falls in the distance or the soft hoot of a great horned owl in the thick forest. I imagine many of them never thought the good times would end. The similarities to Canada’s current dependency on oil frightened me in ways a ghost never could.

To arrange your visit go to http://www.valjalbert.com/en/home

TWEETABLES

Canada’s largest ghost town a harbinger of a post-oil future? via @Reinventure Click to Tweet.

A visit to Val-Jalbert, a ghost town in Quebec, may leave you frightened in ways a ghost never could. Click to Tweet.

My friend @Reinventure highly recommends arranging a visit to Val-Jalbert, a ghost town in Quebec. Click to Tweet.