BILL PEYTO: A RARE BREED IN BANFF
BY JACKIE GOLD
BANFF CRAG & CANYON STAFF
As the thrill of mountain climbing spread throughout the Canadian Rockies, the need for knowledgeable guides to show 'tenderfoots' through the potentially dangerous areas grew.
Guides were a special breed of men, usually a fountain of knowledge on local animals, plant life and unknown trails.
Bill Peyto, an immigrant from England, became one such guide, earning the respect of local mountain men and travellers alike with his ability to traverse some of the most dangerous areas in Banff National Park, with his charges in tow.
Peyto travelled from coast to coast before settling down in Banff to try his hand at a variety of careers such as working for the CPR, homesteading and prospecting, before he entered the outfitting business with Tom Wilson in 1894.
His reputation as an outstanding trail guide grew over the next six years, as he led parties through difficult terrain with varied success rates, depending on the climbers and surface conditions.
"I've guided all kinds of people into the mountains. At first they are hesitant, maybe with a healthy fear of bears or other animals. Some get frustrated just trying to get out of town, and for some it's all those things that Tom mentions, but once they are well outfitted and in the real wilderness they seem to open up like a high alpine meadow," Peyto once said of guiding.
J. Norman Collie, a highly regarded climber who knew Peyto, wrote that, "Peyto assumes a wild and picturesque though somewhat tattered attire. A sombrero, with a rakish tilt to one side, a blue shirt set off by a white kerchief (which may have served civilization for a napkin), and a buckskin coat with a fringe border, add to his cowboy appearance."
"The story of his battle with the world, his escapades and sufferings of hunger and exposure not to mention the dreams and ambitions of a keen imagination with their consequent disappointments, has served to entertain many an evening hour," Collie recalled.
After the Boer War broke out in South Africa, Peyto enlisted in the Strathcona Horse regiment in 1900, serving through the entire campaign with the group, and taking part in many battles. A year after he joined, Peyto returned to Canada, and was honoured by the citizens of Banff for his dedication.
Two years later he married a British Columbian girl named Emily Wood, who gave birth to a son, Robert W.F. Peyto, before her death in 1906. Once his wife passed on Peyto's son Robert was sent to live with his mother's relatives.
Peyto decided to move on to prospecting and trapping, giving up the outfitting business for a more solitary existence until, in 1913, he became one of Banff's first park wardens. In 1915 he hung up his warden coat to take up arms for the country once again, this time serving in the First World War. Peyto was posted to a machine gun brigade and served until he was wounded at Hooge. He recovered from his injury and returned to Canada in 1917, returning to his old post of park warden until 1918 when he became the game warden. His effort as a warden did not go unnoticed, as he continually proved himself to be not only an efficient, but valuable member of the warden community.
His previous career as a trail guide served him well, and he utilized many of the skills developed over those years to their full extent.
Peyto did have some problems with various aspects of the job however, and never could understand some of the restrictions placed on the wardens as illustrated in one of his tales found in From the Rockies of Canada by Walter D. Wilcox.
"I remember once when another park warden and I were out on predator patrol. That was in the early days when park managers thought animals like mountain lions, wolves and coyote should be killed to save deer and elk. It didn't make much sense to me … but I had a job to do, and I did it well,” he recalled.
“Anyway, my hound dog got a scent of a cat and treed it about one hundred yards from where our horses stood.
“I took aim and shot the cat without too much of a thought... until I realized she was nursing. I couldn't say what I felt to the other warden so I just headed off into the brush lookin' for those kittens ... and sure enough I found the two little ones at the base of a large boulder not too far away.
"I wasn't sure of what I was going to do, but l picked them up and eventually got them back to my cabin.
“Well, my dog took a liking to those kittens and we raised them through the winter and into spring (as much spring as we get around here). It was a long winter and at times I felt like those kittens were trying to tell me something.
"I even started dreaming about them back in the wild. I soon realized they were getting a little too big to keep cooped up, so I decided to let them go free and wild hoping they would be able to protect themselves."
Peyto retired in 1934, and from that point on until his death in 1943 he maintained a relatively private lifestyle.
In life he proved to be one of the most colourful characters of Banff, showing a zest for life not unlike that of his fellow Rocky Mountain pioneers. His memory is not lost however his death, as a watery reminder of his favourite private retreat, Peyto Lake, serves as a natural monument to a life well lived.
Sources: www.wbsaloon.com , www.peakfinder.com and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.
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