Wawaskesy National Park

Coordinates: 50°28′34″N 110°27′18″W / 50.476021°N 110.455021°W / 50.476021; -110.455021

Wawaskesy National Park was created near the South Saskatchewan River,^[1] north of the city of Medicine Hat in southeastern Alberta, Canada, in 1922, closed in 1938, and delisted in 1947.

Beginning in 1915 the 65 km² (25 sq mi) of land^[2] that formed Wawaskesy National Park had been designated the Canyon Antelope Reserve,^[3] to protect pronghorn (sometimes referred to as antelope). The area was one of many pronghorn reserves created in Alberta and Saskatchewan at that time.

Wawaskesy National Park was one of several national parks created in the Canadian Prairies expressly to protect and regenerate dangerously low populations of bison and pronghorn. Other 'regeneration' parks, also delisted in 1947, included Buffalo National Park and Nemiskam National Park (both in Alberta) and Menissawok National Park in Saskatchewan.

Wawaskesy is a Cree word.

With the rebound of pronghorn herds in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, Wawaskesy was closed in 1938 and the land was used by area farmers. In 1941 the land was transferred to the Dominion of Canada and included in the Suffield Block for military use. On the 19 June 2003, a portion of the Suffield Block, including areas formerly within Wawaskesy National Park, were designated the Suffield National Wildlife Area.

References

1. ↑ "Soil Survey of Rainy Hills Sheet" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-12-23. 
2. ↑ "Submission to the Joint Review Panel" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-12-23. 
3. ↑ Jardine, Helen. "Capital News Online | News | Natural gas or natural grass". Carleton.ca. Retrieved 2010-12-23. 

• Lothian, W.F. A History of Canada's National Parks, Volume IV, Chapter 7, Parks Canada, 1987.
• "National Parks Established for the Protection of American Bison and Pronghorn Antelope", map, from W.F. Lothian, A History of Canada's National Parks, Volume IV, Chapter 7, Parks Canada, 1987.