How has the Geography of the West shaped who we are?

CAVE &amp; BASIN

This photo depicts relative location. The Columbia ice field is a landmark therefore making this photo represent relative location. The Columbia Icefield is a landmark because it is distinguishable by the way it looks and the massive busses that deliver you there. The busses being a characteristic during business hours only though. This shows how everything can be turned into a tourist attraction. I’m not saying its not a cool experience but unless your doing actual research its only entertaining for a little while. Also if you drink the water try to not get tons of dirt in your bottle. I think this photo represents the tourism industry and how it can be established anywhere. There is no residential area anywhere near the Columbia ice field and they have staff housing across the street from the main building

GOLDEN SKYBRIDGE

This Photo represents movement because the Last spike signifies the end of building the CPR witch is how recourses and people got moved around the country. This photo represents the end of building the CPR witch united Canada not only by getting bc to join but by having a coast to coast transportation method. I think the last spike is very historically significant because it was where the last spike was driven during the creation of the CPR. Building the CPR was very significant to Canadas history because its the reason the colony of British Columbia joined Canada.

Movement. The last spike represents movement because it was where the final spike was driven into the CPR witch is what united Canada through the MOVEMENT  recources and passengers witch also brought the early tourism industry a lot of business. 

THE LAST SPIKE

LAKE MINNEWANKA

I think this photo represents movement because its a train. Trains have been used for many years to move resources and people around countries and continents. Even though its not a photo of the museum itself it all falls into the same category because the entire museum is about trains. The foundation of this country was basically built on the CPR and Revelstoke became a bit of a hotspot for railway workers building the CPR. That turned Revelstoke into a railway town, thats why they have a railways museum and probably some other railway based attractions. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents I found the museum very interesting and learned a lot about the history of Canada involving trains. The subject I learned the most about is all the times British royalty used the CPR to get around and travel our country. I think the museum was a perfect last location for our trip because it really tied everything together.

REVELSTOKE RAILWAY MUSEUM

This photo represents human environment interaction because we changed the environment to build a railway. One of the major geographical aspects of the west is the mountains so by even having the need to blow a hole through one represents that this is a western problem. The physical environment made it so we had to make a tunnel in the first place. Then they ended up using a nearby pass and not making a tunnel. One of the biggest struggles for building the CPR was finding a way through the mountains, I think if they had to make a tunnel instead of the pass then the end date of construction would’ve been much later.

COLUMBIA ICE FEILD

What is geography? Geography is basically anything you see around you. Any part of the land or body’s of water. For example the geography of lake louise is tall evergreens, crystal blue water, rivers, big mountain, as opposed to somewhere like Kamloops where there are small dry trees, tons of shrubs, cactus, and dry desert dirt. The geography of a place can influence your needs and lifestyle. For example someone who lives in a desert area where it is always dry is going to be much more comfortable in heat then someone from a place that is built in/around a forest.  

I think this photo represents movement. I know that its a bit of a stretch but there was a giant canyon and if you want to MOVE across the canyon you have to take the sky bridge. 2. What made and makes the West by how this photograph represents the physical environment influencing the nature of political, social, and economics in the West. To be honest there was no actual reason that they needed to put a bridge there other than the fact that it was a supper deep canyon. I think turning it into a tourist attraction is smart and I like how they have the zip line and mountain coaster. It was a cool experience but again it all leads back to making things we don’t need for tourism purposes. 3. Your own connection and interpretation of the place the photo represents I think its very cool and it was a wonderful experience and I had fun but I also think they need to find a way to make the zip line harness’ hurt less.

I think this photo represents human environment interaction because the pools that where once natural and thriving got turned into a tourist attraction and harmed the environment. On the positive side the government now has done all they can to restore these pools to their original state and let the endangered snails species thrive. The three railway workers that had started to make a hotel there got the area taken away from them by the government witch lead to the creation of the first national park in Canada. Then the newly created parks Canada turned it into a tourist attraction like the three men where trying to do but the government started profiting off the hot springs. Even though they payed the men settlement money its exactly what they where trying to do but instead the government profited off it. I think its important that the government is now protecting the endangered snails in the pools now because even if they don’t have a extremely important purpose I think it’s important that a full effort is put in into protecting endangered species like those snails.

The geography of the west, how does it shape us?

This photo represents human environment interaction. A while back parks Canada tried to have a 1 square kilometre controled burn but it got out of control and ended up being a 33 square kilometre burn. If that isn’t human environment interaction then nothing is. The forest needed new species of plants and parks Canada was just doing a little test and if the forest was more diverse then there wouldn’t of been a reason to have a fire in the first place. I think that its good that the parks Canada now knows how to use controlled fires now and something like this that could possibly harm animals most likely wont happen again

This photo represents place, to be more specific human/cultural place. Part of the architecture of lake Louise is the 2 tea houses and the canoe rental place. It’s pretty much the only buildings there that are related to the lake Louise “experience” other that the massive hotel. The Fairmont Château also represents human/cultural place because of the architecture. There is hotels scattered around the Rockies with similar architecture, it’s basically its own wing of the company. The canoe rental place is again linked with tourism, anyone who lives near that area doesn’t rent a canoe and go out on the lake, if anything they bring their own. The entirety of Banff national park runs off tourism. Of courser thats what it was intended for but if you actually lived there tourism has made the price of everyday essentials so extreme that life there would be difficult. I think its cool how they do give people the opportunity to go out and paddle around the lake in a canoe but the rental prices where crazy. For the general public it is $155 for one hour but if your a guest at the Fairmont then the price drops to $95 per hour. I get that its a tourist attraction so then can basically charge whatever they want but I think thats an absolutely crazy price.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (Me)

My name is Max and I am a PLP 9 student at seycove secondary school. One of the components of PLP is the field study’s we go on. Grade 8 was Oregon, this year was Alberta but enough about school. I live in deep cove and enjoy the sports that the environment around me supports. I row because we are lucky enough to have lots of beach access here, I ski because we are lucky enough to have a few local ski hills that are easy to access. In my free time I enjoy playing video games and sleeping. The only pets I have are a bearded dragon and fish. That’s basically everything about me 

Name

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