This book explores a relatively small but interesting and unusual region of Alberta between the North Saskatchewan and the Battle Rivers. The Beaver Hills arose where mountain glaciers from the west met continental ice-sheets from the east to create a complex and diverse landscape. MacDonald relates how climate, water levels, wildlife, vegetation, and fire have shaped the possibilities and provided the challenges to the people who have called the region home.

Graham A. MacDonald has worked as a public historian for the Ontario Parks Branch, the Manitoba Heritage Branch, and Parks Canada, and as a heritage planner in Winnipeg. His research includes First Nations history, the fur trade, and natural resource history. He lives in Victoria, B.C.

Introduction On the Name Beaver Hills Chapter 1: The Character of the Beaver Hills Chapter 2: Ancient Ways Between Two Rivers Chapter 3: Traders, Horses, and Bison, 1730-1870 Chapter 4: Visions of the Promised Land, 1870-1905 Chapter 5: Conservation, Communities and Egalitarianism, 1905-1930 Chapter 6: Hard Times and Good Times, 1930-1950 Chapter 7: Postwar Urbanism Notes Bibliography Image Sources Index