Messrs. E.H. Fitzhugh, Alfred W. Smithers, W.D. Robb, Charles M. Hays, H. Deer, A.B. Atwater and W.E. Davis, 1910
Charles Melville Hays Collection / Library and Archives Canada

Fitzhugh before the arrival of the railroad, ca. 1911
Alberta on Record

Near the end of 1910 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway established a divisional point at mile 112 (as measured from the McLeod River), near a plateau between the Miette and Athabasca Rivers. It was called Fitzhugh after the vice-president and general manager of the railway, Earl Hopkins Fitzhugh Jr. [1853–1930].

By 1911 the Canadian government had decided to make Fitzhugh the administration center for Jasper National Park. The town survey completed in 1913 was approved one year later. Development of the town began in earnest during the summer of 1913. The first change was to rename the town Jasper, the name by which it is known today.

The spring of 1912 [Donald Phillips] built his corrals and a shack in Fitzhugh (which was changed to Jasper the fall of 1913) right in the middle of what is known as Pyramid Drive now.

The trail from Fitzhugh to Maligne Lake is a good one, built by the Otto Bros, last spring. Ten miles out from Fitzhugh is Buffalo Prairie, which is on a low bench along the Athabaska River and through which several streams flow which head on the mountain

— Wilkins

Early in September, 1911, we swam our horses across the Athabaska River below Fitzhugh in the Jasper Park, on the line of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

The trail from Fitzhugh to Maligne Lake is a good one, built by the Otto Bros, last spring. Ten miles out from Fitzhugh is Buffalo Prairie, which is on a low bench along the Athabaska River and through which several streams flow which head on the mountain.

— Phillips

Fitzhugh, named after vice-president of the Grand Trunk Railway, is, owing to its central position at the junction of the three valleys, bound to become an important centre. There is plenty of room for it to grow and expand in the park-like situation that has been chosen.

— Wheeler

It was necessary to construct a tunnel near Rider to facilitate traffic through the mountain. The tunnel was actually closer to Legrand than Rider even though it was called the “Rider Tunnel.” The geography in that location was such that the hillside was prone to landslides which frequently covered the railway tracks. For many years a tunnel watchman was employed to monitor conditions to ensure safe rail travel. In her book The Robson Valley Story, Marilyn Wheeler records that Ed Walsh, the orchardist from Legrand, was the “tunnel keeper” at Rider.

— Olson