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Canadian
Rockies |
The Canadian
Rockies have a vibrant past - full of discoveries. The late 1800s gold
rush brought men looking for fortune, and many of the communities they settled
remain today. The other major factor in the settlement of the area was the creation
of the Canadian Pacific Railway. There are numerous towns throughout that owe
their existence to the railway, but this area proved to be one of the hardest
for the railroad to develop. It was also during this time that many of the natural
wonders that comprise the area's National Parks were found. The occurrences
of the railroad settled the area, but the demographics were altered during the
Second World War, when Japanese internment camps were set up here and some of
those forced to move here chose to remain.
The Canadian Rockies make
a great vacation destination for history lovers, as so many of the region's
attractions are based on days past. Many important moments in Canada's
history have played out here, and the opportunity to relive them is endless.
THE GOLD RUSH & MINING
Native tribes were the first
to set foot in the Canadian Rockies. The area around modern-day Cranbrook
was found by the Ktunaxa (Kootenay) tribe, who used the area to ford the river,
as well as conduct their trading. During the Gold Rush of the late 1800s, more
and more Europeans poured into the area, and with them came inevitable tensions
with the Natives already residing there. North West Mounted Police Superintendent
Sam Steele did his part to relieve this anxiety. It was Steele who found a peaceful
agreement for the Ktunaxa, Caucasian, and Chinese settlers in this area. Because
of this, the town of Fort Steele was named for him.
As more and more gold prospectors
poured into the area, Fort Steele's population grew. At one point, over 2, 000
citizens called the town home. It was a major centre for trade, transportation
and socializing in the saloons. However, in 1898, its downfall began. As construction
on the British Columbia Southern
Railroad worked its way through the area, Fort Steele was bypassed by the tracks,
which instead were constructed to go through Cranbrook. The population soon
followed. Fort
Steele Heritage Town celebrates the excitement of the gold rush, by
displaying an archetypal area town from the late 19th and early 20th century.
It is approximately 27 acres in size, and has roughly 60 restored buildings.
A blacksmith and tinsmith shop, functional bakery, general store and more are
all here, and visitors will delight in the vision of history presented. Summer
is the best time to visit Fort Steele Heritage Town. From late June until Labour
Day, the Wild Horse Theatre features live entertainment. This is also when the
educational street performances occur, and tourists will learn about everything
from quilting to horse farming, gathering a better understanding of what life
was like during this era.
Besides gold, large quantities
of other minerals were found here. Zinc, lead, and galena, a silver-lead mineral,
have all been mined in the Rockies. Mining towns popped up everywhere. In Kimberley,
the Sullivan
Mine Interpretive Centre offers a unique look at the mining experience.
It starts with a nine-kilometer ride on the Bavarian
City Mining Railway, a small train that shuttles visitors from downtown
Kimberley through the narrow Mark Creek valley. The final destination is the
site of the old Sullivan Mine surface facilities. Visitors can take a close
look at the various aspects of mineral recovery, while also learning of the
area's past.
THE CANADIAN PACIFIC
RAILWAY
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Train
in the Canadian Rockies |
Perhaps one of the most
important factors in Canada's history is the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1871,
British Columbia finally agreed to join the Canadian Federation, but they did
so based on the promise of a trans-continental railway that would join the Pacific
Coast with Eastern Canada. The project was slated for completion within ten
years. However, laying railroad tracks through treacherous, and for the most
part untouched mountains proved to be an extraordinarily challenging task.
Towards what is now Revelstoke,
it became difficult to even find an area to put tracks. Surveyors were sent
to explore the area and determine the best route. Much time and money was invested
into these surveyors, one of whom was Major A.B. Rogers. He took his crew through
many areas, and in 1881, he finally went to an area that was commonly known
as 'no man's land', and had been abandoned by other men 15 years earlier. The
area was near the headwaters of the Illecillwaet River. Due to a lack
of food, Rogers and his crew was forced to turn back before he got the opportunity
to fully explore the area, but it was apparent that their route had been located
through this narrow pass. This area is now known as Roger's
Pass.
There is a small interpretive
centre located here. It showcases the trials and tribulations of both the discovery
of the pass, and the construction of the railroad itself, which was plagued
by poor weather and forest fires. Small scenic hiking paths are also here.
Finally, in 1885, The
Last Spike was driven into the steel rails. The man appointed to do
the honors was Donald A. Smith, First Baron of Strathcona and Mount Royal. When
the government began running into financial problems with the railroad, Smith
stepped in, and financed large portions of the project himself. The site is
located at Craigellachie, BC, just west of Revelstoke, and is the location of
a very important part of the history of Canada. The completion of the railway
signified the unifying of a massive land area, and all the people residing there.
Even after the completion
of the railway, problems existed. One popped up in what is now Yoho
National Park, near Field,
BC. Due to the steep decline of the mountain, trains were picking up a dangerous
speed. The decline they were forced to make was actually ten times the gradient
of what is considered safe. The decision to create the Spiral
Tunnels was made in 1908. These are two massive tunnels that have been
cut into the rock so that the train tracks were laid in a spiral, almost figure
eight shaped descent. Due to the winding of the track, it is difficult for locomotives
to pick up too much speed, so they can make their mountainous descent at a reasonable
pace, and with a gradient of half of what it originally was. There is a lookout
centre located here, and when timed properly, visitors will see trains making
their gentle drop. The Spiral Tunnels represent an excellent example of Canadian
engineering history, and are defiantly worth seeing.
NATIONAL PARKS
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| Mountain
and Lake in Banff National Park |
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It's no secret that there
is an abundance of protected land and wildlife in the Rockies, but it didn't
start out that way. In the 1700s, the area was used for hunting and trading
by the Kootenay, Cree, and Plains Blackfoot Native tribes. The first European
set foot in the area in 1841. That was George Simpson, the Governor of the Hudson's
Bay Company. The volume of people in the area increased when the Canadian Pacific
Railway made it's way through. In 1883, two railway workers, Frank McCabe and
William McCardell found the Natural Hot Springs. Shortly after the discovery,
the Canadian Federal Government reserved a 26 kilometer radius surrounding the
springs, making Banff the
nation's first National Park. Over time, the preserved area was increased, and
in 1930, the size of protected land increased to 6, 641 square kilometers, which
is the size it holds to this day.
Today, Banff
National Park and the town of Banff are home to several museums that
illustrate the past. The
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies is one such place. Here, they illustrate
both the nature and wildlife in the area, as well as having exhibits that focus
on the development and heritage of the area. The Whyte Museum also has information
on the seven historic homes in town of Banff.
The
Banff Springs Hotel was built in 1888, and was the first tourist accommodation
in the area. Two years prior, the General Manager of Canadian Pacific Railways,
a gentleman by the name of William Van Horne, realized the resort potential
of Banff. He commissioned one of the premier architects in the world to draw
up plans for a luxury hotel. The man he hired, New
York resident Bruce Price, did not disappoint. The hotel is nestled
at the confluence of the Bow and Spray Rivers, and it overlooks the Bow Valley.
The architecture of it is, in a word, stunning. It has been renovated, rebuilt,
and redesigned many times, but the form it has now has been in place since the
1920s. All this work has neither damaged nor detracted from the original grandeur
of the hotel.
The hot springs themselves
also remain open to visitors, and their pool house has also been restored to
the original 1930's design.
WORLD WAR II
After the bombing of Pearl
Harbor in 1941, fear of a Japanese invasion of North America was very widespread.
To combat the increasing paranoia and fear, the Canadian government ordered
all citizens of Japanese descent to be interned. Internment camps were set up
throughout the BC Rockies,
with the largest being placed in New
Denver. The location was considered ideal, as it was very inaccessible
to visitors. It is at this site that the Nikkei
Internment Memorial Centre is now housed.
This centre is the only
one of it's kind in Canada, and it is intended to commemorate the 22, 000 Japanese
Canadians who were forced to re-locate to camps of this nature. There are a
few different things to see here. One is the Interpretive Centre, which shows
what life in the camp was like through photographs, historical documents, and
more. Accounts of life in the camp from the people who lived there are also
documented here. There is also a two-family housing facility from the period.
A commemorative garden, complete with a Buddhist shrine with hand carved accents,
is here as well.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- Canadian Rockies
- Train in the Canadian Rockies
- Banff National Park
