Celebrating
Alberta’s Centennial in 2005
A Brief history of Banff and Lake Louise
Prior to Alberta Becoming a Province in 1905:
Archaeological evidence shows that humans have occupied the
Bow Valley for over 11,000 years. The Stoney First Nations
people occupied and hunted in the Bow and Kananaskis valleys
for at least 150 years and were preceded by the Kootenays and
the Piegans which visited the area at the time of the earliest
European contact in the 1700s.
In 1857 the Palliser Expedition arrived to explore the region
for the British Government to see if the land could be settled.
Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining
ties to the British crown. To unite the country, the creation
of a transcontinental railway was initiated. In 1883, two years
before the driving of the last spike marked the completion
of the railroad, the railway was built through Siding 29 (Banff)
and Laggan Station (Lake Louise). Three Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR) workers stumbled upon a series of hot springs (known
today as the Cave and Basin) at the base of what is now called
Sulphur Mountain. In 1885 a federal reserve of 26 km2 was set
aside surrounding the hot springs. In 1887, the area was increased
to 673 km2 and named "Rocky Mountains Park". This
was the beginning of Canada's National Park system.
During that time, Siding 29 became the townsite of Banff (named
after "Banffshire", the district in Scotland which
was the birthplace of two CPR directors).
The CPR immediately recognized the tourism potential of the
Canadian Rockies. In 1888, under the direction of William Cornelius
Van Horne, the elegant 250 room Banff Springs Hotel was completed.
In 1890 a log cabin was constructed on the shore of Lake Louise
and was soon replaced by a larger chalet. This series of grand
hotels along the railway’s main line was part of the
CPR’s plan to advertise Banff as an international tourism
stopover on the steel highway that had suddenly become the
fastest and most direct route from Europe to the far East.
The area quickly became popular.
In 1892 the area around Lake Louise was added to Rocky Mountains
Park. After the first mountaineering death in North America
of Philip Stanley Abbot in 1896, the CPR brought Swiss guides
to the Rockies in 1899 to lead tourists safely through the
mountains.
The first royal visit to Banff occurred in 1901 by the Duke
of York and his wife, Mary (later to be known as King George
V and Queen Mary).
1905 - 2005:
On September 1, 1905, Alberta became a Province of Canada,
(named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, 4th daughter
of Queen Victoria).
While the use of automobiles in the park was prohibited since
1905, the construction of the Banff Coach road into the park
was completed in 1909. By the summer of 1913, the government
removed the prohibition and automobile access created an influx
of people to Banff and Rocky Mountains Park. This led Jim Brewster
to take a far¬sighted course of action in 1916 - he acquired
five Overland motor coaches to replace the 70 horse drawn carriages
which he was using to conduct sightseeing tours. The opening
of the road between Banff and Lake Louise in 1921 and the road
between Banff and Radium in 1923 created a link in the first
public highway across the Canadian Rockies. The Icefields Parkway
opened in 1940 and the Trans-Canada Highway was officially
opened in 1962. By now, Banff had become one of the foremost
National Parks in North America.
Due to the nature of the early building materials, fire was
a recurring theme in the past century. On July 3, 1924, a fire
destroyed the wooden structure of the Chalet at Lake Louise.
Within a year, the CPR rebuilt a new eight-story brick wing
to join the Painter wing of 1913, and changed the hotel name
to Chateau Lake Louise. In 1926 fire destroyed the north wing
of the Banff Springs Hotel and within two years the reconstruction
was completed. In 1936, a new park administration building
and gardens had
been constructed on the site of the old Bretton Hall, which
had burned down in 1933.
In 1930, the National Parks Act was passed by Parliament establishing
the boundaries of the mountain parks generally as they exist
today and introducing the concept of parks preservation under
which the present day parks system is managed. Rocky Mountain
Park is renamed Banff National Park.
During the Depression, the government invested in Banff’s
infrastructure development through putting thousands of relief
workers to work on projects including road construction, trail
systems and building facilities at the hot springs. By the
end of the Second World War, Banff took advantage of the post-war
prosperity, and the growing value of outdoor recreation. In
1945 the population of Banff was ~2000 with tourist accommodation
for 5600.
The first teahouse on the summit of Sulphur Mountain opened
in 1940 but in 1959 the Sulphur Mountain Gondola opened. It
was the first bi-cable gondola in North America and the first
gondola of any kind in Canada.
Although skiing began in the area as early as 1909 (by Conrad
Kain, an Austrian ski guide) it would be many years before
the winter market would attract strong numbers to the region.
Mountain guides from Switzerland led the first ascents of the
peaks. On wooden skis with leather bindings, adventurers discovered
untracked snow in wide-open bowls, laying the groundwork for
today's modern ski industry in Banff and Lake Louise. The first
Banff Winter Carnival in 1911 officially recognized skiing.
Ski Banff @ Norquay was the area's first developed ski hill
in 1926. It was not until 1969 that the Banff Springs Hotel
started opening year round (and 1982 before the Chateau Lake
Louise opened for its first winter season). The opening of
the Sunshine Village gondola in 1980 attracted greater numbers
of skiers to the area. The Canadian Ski Museum West opened
in Cascade Plaza in the fall of 1999, and is a destination
for visitors to discover the area's skiing heritage.
Stanley Thompson, Canada's master golf course architect, used
his expert talent when he designed the original 18-hole course
in 1928. In 1989, a new golf clubhouse and 9 holes were added,
resulting in 27 holes of spectacular mountain golf.
In 1990, Banff became a self-governing municipality within
the Province of Alberta on January 1st.
On March 22, 1992, The Fairmont Banff Springs was declared
a National Historical Site by the Sites and Monuments Board
of Canada.
In Banff and Lake Louise we are proud to share our heritage.
Our heritage is defined by where we live. In Banff and Lake
Louise, this sense of place is embraced through our sharing
of stories with the world, appreciating our spectacular landscapes,
celebrating heritage events and supporting initiatives that
protect our wildlife and ecosystems.
Join us in celebrating Alberta’s Centennial in 2005.
Help bring alive the past 100 years of rich history in Banff
and Lake Louise.
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