About Banff

Aboriginal people have lived and hunted in the regions of the Bow Valley and the Rocky Mountains for well over 11,000 years. Nations such as the Cree, Kootenays, Blackfoot and Stoney, were well acquainted with the mountain valleys and passes. They not only knew of the healing powers of the hot springs, but also of the plants and wildlife of the Canadian wilderness, traversing the fields and mountains in search of shelter, food, and wild game. The native people were the first guides of the Rocky Mountains and when people began to flock to the area, it was they who assisted with and guided the newcomers.

The story of Banff National Park begins with the re-discovery of the thermal hot springs by three Canadian Pacific Railway workers in 1883. While on a hunting and prospecting trip, they came across the hot springs and realized the fame and fortune that could be made with this discovery. In 1885, a land reserve was set aside surrounding the Cave and Basin site (as the hot springs are now called), with the springs becoming the focus for Canada’s first national park. Shortly after, in 1886, as the tourism potential for the hot springs was realized, the town of Banff was established. It was named after “Banffshire”, the district in Scotland, which was the birthplace of two CPR directors, Lord Strathcona and George Stephen. In 1888, the elegant CPR Banff Springs Hotel was completed.

Mt .Rundle - Banff, Alberta

Many people came to enjoy the “Rocky Mountains Park” (as it was named in 1887), and the peacefulness of mountain life. New business opportunities grew through the emerging and growing tourist trade, and have continued to grow. By 1930, The National Parks Act was passed establishing park boundaries that still exist today, and what was known as Rocky Mountain Park became Banff National Park. Banff is famous for its museums, national historic sites and galleries. At the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum (formerly the Luxton Museum of the Plains Indians) you can discover the long native presence of the Plains Indian in the Rockies. The Cave and Basin National Historic Site provides the history and vision that was invested in the creation of the national parks system. The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies offers interpretive exhibits and displays and the Banff Park Museum (the oldest museum in Western Canada), offers a glimpse into the natural world of the Canadian Rockies and the Bow Valley regions.

Banff is indeed a wilderness park with much of the land legislated as protected wilderness. It is up to us as protectors of Canada’s wildlife and natural environment to ensure the sustainability of such majestic beauty remains with us for all time.
Courtesy of Banff Lake Louise Tourism

Read more about Banff and Lake Louise history, current news and views.

Visit the Banff Lake Louise Tourism website at www.banfflakelouise.com