Geography and History
The Algonquin Park takes its name from the indigenous people who inhabited this region long before the arrival of Europeans in America. Although the Algonquins mainly lived in the territory of Quebec, a community was also located west of the Ottawa River. This people, who primarily lived off hunting and fishing, had to settle down at the time of the construction of several dams and the development of the forest industry. They thus developed agricultural techniques and mainly cultivated corn, beans, and squash.
Algonquin Park was established in 1893 to protect a portion of the territory from logging and, above all, its exceptional hydrographic basin and its large white pines. Since then, the park has almost doubled in size, making it one of the largest national parks in Canada. The landscape of Algonquin Park is very diverse due to its vast size. It mainly features maple hills, rocky ridges, and thousands of lakes. We will have the privilege and opportunity to explore this naturally and culturally rich territory.