This is a small sample of the thousands of photographs that
have been taken of the Illecillewaet Glacier since the late
1800s. The oldest images are tourist snapshots while later
photography was done by scientists monitoring glacial
changes. Repeat photography was done annually by the
Vaux family (1898-1912), then members of the Dominion
Water and Power Bureau (Water Survey of Canada)
mapped and took photographs annually from 1945-50 and
every second year until 1960. Since the 1970s Parks
Canada staff and a few researchers have shown renewed
interest in monitoring. Analysis of detailed maps and aerial
photographs shows that this glacier has retreated more than
a kilometer since the 1880s. It advanced about 100 meters
in the early 1970s and is now in retreat.
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