Town of Banff

History

The area around Banff has a rich and colourful history, dating back more than 11,000 years. A few highlights:

11,000 - 11,500 BC

• Earliest evidence of human occupation in the Bow Valley on the shores of Lake Minnewanka.

1750 AD

• The Cree, Kootenay and Plains Blackfoot tribes use the mountain passes of the Rockies for hunting and fishing.

1841

• The first known European to visit the Banff area is George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.

1871

• Fulfilling a promise to unite British Columbia with the four provinces, the Canadian government begins construction of a national railway.

1883

• The railway passes through the Banff area and reaches Laggan Station (Lake Louise)
• Three railway workers, Frank McCabe, Tom McCardell, and William McCardell, stake claim to the natural hot springs on the side of Sulphur Mountain.

1884

• Lord Steven, a former CPR director, christens the area "Banff" after his birthplace, Banffshire in Scotland.

1885

• The federal government sets aside a 26 km² reserve surrounding the hot springs discovered two years earlier.
• The Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the federal government cooperate in promoting the area as an international resort and spa as a way to support the new railway and ease the financial pressures on Confederation.

1887

• The reserve area is increased to 670 km² and government legislation establishes Rocky Mountain Park.

1888

• The Canadian Pacific Railway Company builds the area's first large tourist accommodation, The Banff Springs Hotel.

1911

• Automobile access to Banff is made possible by the construction of the Banff/Calgary Coach Road.
• Conservation of natural resources becomes a major focus of the federal government's Parks Branch.

1917

• The park's area is increased to 7 125 km².
• The Canadian government passes the first National Parks Act in the world dedicating national parks "to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment and such parks shall be maintained so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

1920

• The road connecting Banff and Lake Louise is constructed.

1930

• Rocky Mountains Park is renamed Banff National Park and its size becomes fixed at 6641 km².

1933

• The Banff Centre for Continuing Education is founded.

1940

• The road extending north to Jasper is completed and opened in June.

1985

• Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks along with four adjacent provincial parks are declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

1990

• Through a joint agreement between the local citizens and the federal and provincial governments, the Town of Banff becomes the only incorporated municipality within a Canadian national park.