'Yellowhead Pass' (el. 1110 m.) is a
mountain pass across the
Continental Divide of the
Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between the
Canadian provinces of
Alberta and
British Columbia, and lies within
Jasper National Park and
Mount Robson Provincial Park.
Due to its modest elevation and gradual approaches the
Grand Trunk Pacific and
Canadian Northern Railways both built their mainlines through the pass circa 1910-1913. It had been previously recommended by
Sir Sanford Fleming as a potential pass across the
Rocky Mountains for the earlier
Canadian Pacific Railway. This proposal was rejected, largely for political considerations, in favour of a more direct and southerly route through the more difficult
Kicking Horse Pass.
It is believed that the pass is named for Pierre Bostonais (nicknamed ''
Tête Jaune'', French for ''Yellow Head''), an
Iroquois-
Métis trapper employed as a guide by the
Hudson's Bay Company. Bostonais led one of the first expeditions for the company to the interior of B.C. through the pass in 1820. Although the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways are both now defunct, the successor
Canadian National Railway still runs its mainline here. The pass is now also traversed by the
Yellowhead Highway.
External Links
★
Yellowhead Pass and its People. Valemount Historic Society