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LAKE OF THE LITTLE FISHES MORE THAN THAT
BY JACKIE GOLD BANFF CRAG & CANYON STAFF

Lake Louise, known to the Stoney Indian people as Ho-run-num-nay, or " Lake of the Little Fishes" lies nestled in a valley be­tween some of the most spectacular peaks in the Canadian Rockies.

While the natives of the area had been aware of the lake for years, it was not until 1882 that the lake was 'discovered' by Tom Wilson, a former North West Mounted Police officer and at the time a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Wilson, led by a Stoney guide named Gold Seeker, named the area Lake Emerald, however the name was later changed by the Geographic Board in honour of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, for whom the province was named.

Attracting a wide range of visitors, from royalty to celebrities to those looking to rest and relax, Lake Louise is known for its stunning vistas and scenery.

When the CPR finished its transconti­nental line in 1885, with commercial accommodations located in Lake Louise , the area became quite popular with tourists, quickly becoming an international destina­tion, due partly to heavy promotion by the railway.

The area surrounding the lake had been explored and mapped by pioneers such as Walter Wilcox and Samuel Allen, setting the stage for what would become a heavily traversed area for alpinists. Wilcox went on to write a detailed book about his explorations in the Banff / Lake Louise area entitled Camping in the Canadian Rockies: an account of camp life in the wilder parts of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, together with a description of the region about Banff, Lake Louise, and Glacier, and a sketch of the early explorations. In his book he wrote that Lake Louise was, "one of the most beautiful sheets of water in the Canadian Rockies.”

"The lake is small, but there is a harmonious blending of grandeur and quiet beauty in the surrounding mountains which in some way makes a perfect picture out of lofty snow peaks in the distance and dark forested slopes near at hand.

"Here all is grand but menacing, dangerous and forbidding.”

When Philip Stanley Abbot became the first mountaineering casualty of the Lake Louise area, falling to his death while mak­ing an attempt on Mt. Lefroy in 1896, alpinists became even more interested in the challenges presented by the glacial moun­taintops.

1892 Lake Louise became a forest park under anew legislation, however it was not until 1902 that the area came under the protective umbrella of the newly expanded Banff National Park .

Wilcox was wrong in at least one of his assessments of Lake Louise however, claiming that, "unlike Banff with its varied attractions, there is little here outside of nature, and few have the power to appreciate nature alone.”

In fact hikers and recreational climbers flocked to the area, drawn to the trails that had been built in the early 1890s by Willoughby Astley. Hiking and climbing became so popular that a number of tea houses began to cater to the more com­monly traversed areas. Two such teahouses are still in opera­tion, Plain of Six Glaciers and Lake Agnes .

By 1930 ski mountaineering and glacier skiing had become the "in" sport, and a group of local skiers, who were commonly known as the Banff Ski Runners, decided that it was time to get in on the ground floor.

After much consultation with one an­other and local guides, they decided on a perfect location for their business and built the first overnight ski chalet in western North America , financed by a company called the Ski Club of the Canadian Rockies.

When a wealthy Englishman named Sir Norman Watson came through the Rockies on a visit in 1931 he became so enthralled by the area's beauty that he invested heavily in the Ski Club of the Canadian Rockies seeing great potential in the Lake Louise area, and skiing as well.

By 1936 construction of Lake Louise Ski Area was well underway, beginning with the building of Temple Lodge. They would later add lifts and further modernize the area for those wishing to “appreciate nature.”

Lake Louise has become, despite Wilcox's dour predictions, one of the premier attractions of the Rockies and Banff National Park. With the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offering superior lodgings and any number of seasonal events throughout the year, it's no wonder visitors continue to make the trek into the mountains to see for themselves the panoramic vistas of this glacial treasure.

Known as Canada's “Diamond in the Wilderness,” and the “Hiking Capital of Canada,” Lake Louise is home to one of North America's finest downhill ski areas, a source of pride that got its start in the area over 75 years ago and is still going strong.

With over 270 kilometres of trails and spreading over 600 square kilometres, the Lake Louise area is a mecca of natural and human history, which can only be truly appreciated through a visit to the area.

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