How Did Canada Become a Country?

"If we cannot export the scenery, we'll import the tourists!"

- William Cornelius Van Horne, General Manager and subsequent President of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1880’s

Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada is among the world’s most famous scenic parks. It borders Jasper to the North, Yoho to the west and Kootenay to the south. Together these four parks comprise the bulk of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.

Banff was Canada’s first National Park and North America’s second after Yellowstone. Park’s Canada was the world’s first National Park Service, established in 1911.

I am fortunate to consider this region my home, and am long overdue in offering a general introduction to the area. Visit 2me.travel for many articles!

A (really) Brief History

Canada’s birth as a country (nation is a bit too much to claim for such a diverse place) was the result of many competing factors.

The Hudson’s Bay Company – the oldest incorporated business in North America – received its charter in 1670. The waters flowing into Hudson Bay have their watershed up in the Canadian Rockies and fur traders passed through the more northern Yellowhead route (now Jasper) long before the Bow Valley (where Banff is located) was mapped by Europeans.

‘Canada’ began to emerge as a country in 1867 when Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia entered confederation. The real future of the country occurred when sparsely populated British Colombia joined in 1871 on the provision that a train-line connected the country.

Meanwhile, in 1867 Russia sold Alaska to the post-civil war USA for 2 cents an acre! Russia wanted to weaken Britain and the USA was bubbling with Manifest Destiny and post civil war debt.

By remaining ‘British’ (i.e. joining Canada) the northern dominion emerged through the British North America Act – no war of independence. The new Canadian government purchased Rupert’s Land from the HBC in 1870 and began building its train in 1875.

Trains are no faster today ????

The train was completed on Nov. 7, 1885 and Banff National Park was established protecting a small area of natural hot pools on the side of Sulphur Mountain.

#canada #Banff #history #trains #banffspringshotel


The early CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) was chronically short of funds and the difficult route through the mountains of western Canada required extremely difficult engineering and continuous avalanche management.

*It is important to remember the painful contribution of Chinese Canadians when building the train. They were paid less than European workers and were burdened with the hardest jobs – including handling dynamite. Upwards of 1000 Chinese workers died building the train through the mountains.

Hotels & Tourism

I like to think the magnificence of the area was not lost on the early visitors and General Manager of CPR, William Van Horne (born in Illinois, died very wealthy in Montreal) developed the remarkable business plan of building mighty chateaus in the mountains and across the country.

Today, the Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise and the Chateau Frontenac (Quebec City) are among the most photographed and visited buildings in Canada. The Empress out in Victoria hearkens back to the trans-pacific shipping company linked with Canada’s trans-continental train. Indeed Canada’s train lines still competes with the Panama Canal for integrating the world economy.

Sparsely-populated Canada – first explored in hopes of finding a route to Asia – suddenly did unite much of the northern hemisphere and encouraged trade and a fascinating movement of people.

It is now much easier to explore Western Canada by road, but for a generation or more, travel was by train and in the villages, visitors were met by horse drawn carriage or sleigh.

*While Canada’s historic relationships with the First Nations walks the line of genocide, the Stoney people who live near Banff have long maintained a deep relationship with the mountains. Even Calgary’s famous Stampede did (and does) invite the First Nations to play a prominent role. Across the continental divide in British Colombia, the First Nations caught salmon and traded over huge distances.

The Park’s success is undeniable. Banff itself (named in 1884 for the Scottish birthplace of the railway’s first president, George Stephen) has proven a remarkable success. Its name recognition is global. When asked where in Canada I live, rather than saying Alberta, or even near Calgary I simply say ‘Banff.’

Banff does have challenges. The Parks Canada mandate is as follows:
"On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations."