Jasper

/jas"peuhr/, n.

1. a city in NW Alabama. 11,894.

2. a resort town in SW Alberta, in SW Canada, on the Athabaska River: headquarters for Jasper National Park. 3060.

3. a male given name, form of Caspar.

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I

Opaque, fine-grained or dense variety of the silica mineral chert that exhibits various colours, but chiefly brick red to brownish red.

Long used for jewelry and ornamentation, it has a dull lustre but takes a fine polish; its physical properties are those of quartz. Jasper is common and widely distributed, occurring in the Ural Mountains, North Africa, Sicily, Germany, and elsewhere. For thousands of years, black jasper was used to test gold-silver alloys for their gold content. Rubbing the alloys on the stone, called a touchstone, produces a streak the colour of which determines the gold content within 1 part in 100.

II

(as used in expressions)

Jasper National Park

Johns Jasper

Jaspers Karl Theodor

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▪ Alabama, United States

      city, seat (1824) of Walker county, northwestern Alabama, U.S., about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Birmingham. Settled in 1815, it was named for Sergeant William Jasper, a defender of Fort Moultrie (then Fort Sullivan) during the American Revolution. It developed after the arrival of the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham and the Sheffield and Birmingham railroads in 1886. Coal, timber, and poultry processing are the major contributors to the city's economy. The manufacture of furniture is also important. William B. Bankhead, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1936–40), and his actress daughter, Tallulah (Bankhead, Tallulah), lived in Jasper. William B. Bankhead National Forest is 15 miles (24 km) north. Lewis Smith Lake, with 500 miles (800 km) of shoreline, provides recreational opportunities. The Alabama Mining Museum, in nearby Dora, commemorates the importance of coal mining in the state's history. The Foothills Festival, featuring a variety of activities and entertainment, is held annually in October. Jasper has a campus of Bevill State Community College. Inc. 1888. Pop. (1990) 13,553; (2000) 14,052.

▪ Alberta, Canada

 unincorporated place, western Alberta, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the Athabasca and Miette rivers, within the boundaries of Jasper National Park. It takes its name from Jasper Hawes, who in 1817 was given charge of a fur-trading post that had been established some years earlier on the Athabasca River. Since the conservation of the area (1907) as a national park and the building of the Jasper Park Lodge (1922), the locality, overlooked by spectacular peaks, has become a popular Canadian Rocky Mountain resort. Maligne and Pyramid lakes, Miette Hotsprings, Mount Edith Cavell, and the Columbia Icefield are among the local attractions. Jasper is a divisional point on the Canadian National Railway and is strategically situated at the junction of the Yellowhead Highway and the Icefields Parkway. Unlike Banff, Jasper is still administered by the national park authorities. Pop. (2006) 4,265.

▪ county, South Carolina, United States

      county, southern South Carolina, U.S. It is bounded to the west by the Savannah River border with Georgia. The county's short southern coast along the Atlantic Ocean includes a portion of the Sea Islands and, at the southern tip, Tybee National Wildlife Refuge. Jasper county consists of coastal terrain featuring salt marshes and, farther inland, flat Coastal Plain lowlands. Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, noted for its profusion of migratory birds, lies along the Savannah River. Most of the county is forested, with pine plantations and lowland hardwoods predominant.

      In the colonial era the region was the site of battles with Cusabo Indians. During the American Civil War it was devastated by Union troops who were moving northward after their capture of Savannah, Georgia. Jasper county was formed in 1912 and named for William Jasper, a soldier in the American Revolution.

      The lumber industry is the basis of the economy, which is also aided by the county's proximity to the city of Savannah. Ridgeland is the county seat, and Hardeeville is the largest town. Area 654 square miles (1,695 square km). Pop. (2000) 20,678; (2007 est.) 21,953.

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