History of Canmore, Alberta

A Legacy of Miners and Railway Men - Courtesy of the Canmore Leader

Throughout the day, and all night too, the rumble of the Canadian Pacific Railway train, snaking along the valley floor, evokes the sound of history in the Bow Valley. In fact, the CPR is almost singlehandedly responsible for the settlement of Banff and Canmore.

In Banff, the discovery of hot mineral springs in a spectacular setting led CPR bigwig William Cornelius Van Horne, to snap up the best views for the luxurious and highly publicized hotel. In Canmore a CPR switching station and a juicy vein of coal (read: train fuel) were responsible for Canmore’s’ humble beginnings.

Banff developed as a retreat for the rich and a wilderness paradise for the intrepid; Canmore attracted the working man and his family. And they were both named by a homesick Scot: Banff is the capital of Banffshire in northeastern Scotland where Malcolm Canmore had his residence.

Until quite recently Banff and Canmore were rival towns: Banff smiled pretty for the visitors and Canmore was smudged with coal smoke and dust.

Since the mines closed in 1979, Canmore has diversified its economy, and the rate of growth in Canmore has accelerated to surpass that of Banff. Both towns now open their arms wide to welcome visitors from around the world.

The first train rumbled through Canmore in 1884 and a tiny settlement sprang up at the dividing point on the rails. Three years later, the first coal mine opened at a site below what has been known until recently as Chinaman’s Peak. It's now called Ha Ling Peak.

The town’s first baby was born in 1888; by then there were stores, bakeries and dairies. The first church was built in 1891 and a small log schoolhouse in 1894. At the turn of the 20th century, Canmore was part of Banff National Park and remained so until the 1930 National Park Act deemed mining inappropriate for a National Park. Rather than removing the mine, they moved the Park boundary. Bankhead, a coal mining town near Banff at the base of Cascade Mountain, was shut down, and many of its houses were moved to Banff and Canmore.

Canmore was originally divided into three equal-sized districts: Number One Area extended from the Canmore Coal Mine entrance to the Opera House, one of the first established in western Canada where you could see two shows a week and a children’s matinee on Saturdays. (The building is now located in Calgary’s Heritage Park.) Number Two Area included the Rundle Mountain Trading Company Store, the post office and the Canmore Coal Company Headquarters, all on the southwest side of the Bow River. The Number Three Area included the Canmore Hotel, the Union Hall, a four-bed hospital and the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) Barracks, all of which can be seen in the downtown area today.

In 1979, when the last mine closed down, Canmore’s outlook was somewhat bleak, and, for almost a decade, it remained in the public perception as not much more than a gas stop on the way into the park. In 1988, however, the Calgary Winter Olympic Games ushered in a new era. The cross-country ski and biathlon events were held here at the Canmore Nordic Centre, a facility built especially for the Games.

The Nordic Centre is the most tangible legacy of the Games, and is still much in use today for world-class sporting events as well as for recreational athletes. However, the new prosperity of Canmore is another legacy of the Games. People began to realize the almost unlimited possibilities for outdoor experiences here, and the world began to take notice.

Canmore is growing rapidly, but many people in town are concerned about preserving and celebrating our hardworking heritage. Be sure to stop in at the Canmore Museum for a fascinating look at life in the mines. Ask about the heritage walking tour, which features eight historical sites in the town centre, including the NWMP Barracks and the Ralph Connor Church, and the mine manager’s house, built in 1908 for HR Young, one of the first mine managers. All are registered provincial heritage sites.

The NWMP Barracks, restored to its 1921 state with period furniture and original paint samples, is now run as a tea room and gift shop, where you can enjoy a slice of deep dish apple pie or have a cup of tea in the beautiful garden.