by Nelle Oosterom

Thursday, May 19, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada. In recognition of this impressive milestone Parks Canada has organized exciting events across the country, and is encouraging everyone to participate in the celebrations! Opportunities to learn about the history of the organization will be provided through various fun activities including: historic-period games; learn to camp experiences; costumed interpreters; face painting and dress up games. Additionally, Parks Canada representatives will be available at many of these events to assist you and your friends, or family, in planning your next adventure to a Canadian National Historic Site.

Over the past century, almost 1000 sites have been recognized as National Historic Sites and more than 150 of them are managed by Parks Canada. This has helped to protect and preserve sites of significance to Canada’s history from coast to coast. Click here to see a list of all the exciting National Historic Sites you could visit in celebration of Parks Canada’s 100th birthday, or check out the upcoming Centennial Events.

Also, A Century of Parks Canada: 1911-2011 is a new book edited by Claire Campbell, which looks at the changes Parks Canada has gone through in the last 100 years. Nature’s Past podcast host Sean Kheraj interviewed Campbell, and other contributors, about the book.

More Online Extensions

• Top 10 Historic Sites — you may agree or disagree with our choices, but these are all worth writing home about.
• Save Our Sites — listen to our podcast and flip through slides of two northern historic sites in danger of succombing to erosion.