Maintenance

[ Mark Robinson examines marks on tree ]

Mark Robinson examines marks on tree, Unknown, Algonquin Park Archives, APMA 184

At the beginning of the twentieth-century, Algonquin Park brought together a wide variety of people with quite different interests. Park staff were compelled to balance the interests of the provincial government with the interests of tourists, lumber company and railway workers, those who lived in the Park, cottagers, and temporary visitors. They were also compelled to guard against threats ranging from poachers to forest fires. With very few people to maintain order over such a large and relatively isolated area, maintenance of the Park required flexibility, patience, and imagination.

As you survey these documents, consider what sort of activities occupy those who lived and worked in the Park. As you will find, Thomson’s name occasionally appears in some of these documents. What sort of activities was Thomson engaged in, beyond making art? How did others in the area perceive the world around them?

Chapters in Books

Diaries, Journals or Reminiscences

Government Documents

Letters