Long-time visitors share memories on anniversary of Prince Albert National Park
As the Prince Albert National Park marks 90 years, some of those who grew up spending time in the area shared fond memories with family and friends in the early days of the park.
The park was officially nine decades ago, when three thousand people attended a ceremony on Aug. 10, 1928, with then-Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King on hand for the unveiling. King was gifted a cottage at the event, which still stands today on Prospect Drive in Waskesiu.
A ceremony Friday at the Waskesiu Heritage Museum marked the anniversary with a ribbon cutting on a new replica shack tent. With scorching hot weather under sunny blue skies, the park was bustling with shoppers, children and tourists.
In its early days, visitors to the park pitched their tents on the beach with no running water or modern amenities. Doreen Kerby, a long-time visitor and seasonal resident at the park, is one of those who has memories as a child, and now her own children swim in the lake. Kerby’s family always stayed at Manville’s Bungalows, often in a room near a very well-known politician.