Jasper House

 (1813-1861, 1884) - A North West Company trading post first established as Rocky Mountain Post in 1813 near present day Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Renamed Jasper House after Jasper Hawes who operated the post 1814-1817. Became a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) Post in 1821 when the two companies merged. Moved to a second site in 1829. Abandoned circa 1861 and sporadically occupied until finally closed by the HBC in 1884.

History of Jasper House
A North West Company trading post first established on Brule Lake in 1813 near present day Jasper, Alberta. The post initially was a provisioning depot for the company's brigades crossing the Athabasca Pass. The post became a Hudson's Bay Company post in 1821 when the two companies merged. The Hudson's Bay Company moved the post to a second site in 1829 but as traffic diminished and other routes to the west opened up the post became more remote and isolated. The post was abandoned circa 1861 and was sporadically occupied after that until finally closed by the HBC in 1884.

Current Status
Jasper House National Historic Site of Canada near Jasper, Alberta. A marker is located on 21.5 miles north of Jasper, Alberta, on the west side of Hwy 16 (Yellowhead Highway). A path leads from the roadside marker site to a tower on the Athabasca River that overlooks the second site on the opposite bank. The actual site is not accessible from this side of the river and there are no remains of the post. The overlook has a number of interpretive panels that explain the post history.

See Also:
 * North West Company
 * North West Company Forts
 * Hudson's Bay Company
 * Hudson's Bay Company Forts

Sources:

Links:
 * North American Forts - Jasper House
 * Wikipedia - Jasper House
 * Parks Canada - Jasper House
 * Canada's Historic Places - Jasper House National Historic Site of Canada
 * HBC Archives - Jasper House