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Published: September 21st 2014
We left Lake Louise and decided to take the
Bow Valley Parkway route rather than the main highway. The road was good and we stopped at a viewpoint to take a break and look at
Castle Mountain which dominated the skyline. Near to the road was a memorial with a statue which was a Commemoration of the
Castle Mountain Internment Camp - a poignant bronze statue with several plaques detailed the camp and the dire conditions therein - the statue was entitled, simply,
Why? The
Castle Mountain Internment Camp was the largest internment facility in the Canadian Rockies and housed several hundred prisoners during WW1. The internees most of whom. were Ukrainian immigrants worked in really poor conditions pushing the Banff highway through to Lake Louise. In 1917 the camp was dismantled and left to the mountain ghosts. The statue and official memorial replaced an earlier wooden cross that had been torn down. The actual camp site was hidden in the forest behind the statue but there is little left of it now except for the bleak reminder barbed wire from the camp’s fences.
We stopped at a couple of other viewpoints and had a
short walk to
Pilot Lake across an open meadow with a good view of the lake. A little further on we watched a Canadian Pacific train wind its way along the track following the river before vanishing around a corner heading into the mountains - such scenic journeys those travelling on trains have in Canada.
We arrived at
Johnson Canyon and decided to take a hike to its waterfalls as it had been recommended by someone we had met. In 1910, Johnston Canyon was named after a prospector who discovered gold in the creek. Seventeen years later a log cabin teahouse was built by Walter and Marguerite Camp who fell in love with the waterfalls and mountain setting. They built the hiking trail alongside the canyon following the river with seven cascading waterfalls along the route. The Camp family still owned the resort which has expanded and now had 42 log cabins as well as a cosy looking teahouse. The trailhead began immediately behind the teahouse which was advertising cold beer for those returning hikers - not just a teahouse then!
We passed some old cafe advertising signs and started to climb through the
forest, the trail followed the Creek all the way to the
Lower Falls. Along the way we crossed over some sturdy iron catwalks attached beneath the overhanging canyon walls, where the turbulent waters of the creek flowed beneath your feet. It made the hike quite easy but at the same time gave you excellent views. On reaching the lower falls a bridge crossing the creek served as a viewpoint and a short tunnel through the canyon bedrock allowed passage to a further vantage point although a slightly wet one.
Back on the main trail, we continued over another set of catwalks with more viewpoints overlooking the canyon and several smaller falls. We finally reached the
Upper Falls where there were two viewpoints - the bottom of the falls was reached by a side trail leading to a small bridge viewing platform. The water was cascading into the timber strewn gorge below us; a short steep climb on the main trail took us to the top of the the same falls and another viewing platform, which hangs out over the gorge above the waterfall - this was the best view by far.
We really enjoyed
this hike, it’s amazing what the power of water can do, creating such a scenic gorge from its constant bombardment of just water. We passed quite a few more hikers returning to our car and when we arrived back the carpark was full and others were struggling to find space on the road — so glad we had arrived early.
BANFF NATIONAL PARK We arrived in
Banff town which was really quaint and followed the directions through the town to our accommodation. The streets all had names of animals like, Antelope, Bear, Beaver Wolf and Badger which proved useful to remember when navigating around the town.
The town is surrounded by mountains including
Mount Rundle, and
Sulphur Mountain with the
Bow River and
Bow Falls both central to the town. Standing majestically near the falls is the world famous
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel styled after a Scottish baronial castle and actually known as the ‘Castle in the Rockies’. The construction of the hotel in 1888 marked the birthplace of tourism in the Canadian Rockies. We were not staying here though as it would have cost us; a few arms and a
couple of legs. Instead we were staying at the Hidden Ridge Resort, we were looking forward to our stay though as we had booked a small suite, complete with a
kitchen so we would be able to cook and eat properly for a change!
The next day we set off to take the
Banff Gondola up to
Sulphur Mountain but on arrival which was quite early in the morning we were surprised to see so many people waiting to ride up the mountain. We therefore decided that we would hike up - oh dear it was a long way, all up hill of course - it is a mountain after all. The strenuous trail followed a series of switchbacks to the summit ridge and although it was only 5.5 km long it had an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet, it was not for the feint hearted. The trail had a few rough parts over slippery rocks and it was quite daunting when you heard and saw the cable cars right above you - in places it was really difficult to look down even for Paul………. Oh my goodness though didn’t we feel proud when we got
to the summit. Someone asked us whether we had walked all the way up and we both said in chorus, ‘oh yes we did’ … … … A couple of chaps had got the gondola up and walked a little way down to see what it was like. Even though they had only gone a small distance and returned to the top they were exhausted A sign at the bottom of the trail had stated that it takes from 2 to 5 hours to hike to the summit, it took us just under two hours so we were really pleased and the views on the way up were awesome.
Once at the top a network of boardwalks along the ridge took us to several more viewing decks providing yet more stunning views of Banff town with the river running through Bow Valley, Lake Minnewanka and 360 degree views of mountains - spectacular, even with the crowds - most of which had taken the easy way up……
Another long boardwalk took us to Sanson Peak where there were remnants of a
Cosmic Ray Station and a 1903 weather observatory. Detailed signs outlined the scientist’s work
at the very top of the mountain some making the journey up once a month. Research on cosmic rays was conducted here until the late 1970.
We had lunch looking out over the mountain ranges but had to keep a close eye on our food. We watched hundreds of these cheeky
Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels trying to steel anyone’s food - a young boy had left his sandwich on the table and it was gone before he could grab it. Other tourists were busy feeding them whilst taken pictures even though the signs said please do not……..
It was time for us to leave the mountain and we headed back to the Gondola because we had walked up we got to go down
half price - not sure whether this was a bargain or not………. On arrival back at our hotel we jumped into the hotels hot springs overlooking the mountains and we had the whole place to ourselves to ease our aching legs - bliss.
Banff is a very scenic and interesting town and we decided to have a stroll along its streets before visiting a couple of the museums.
Our first visit was to the
Banff Park Museum National Historic Site of Canada - quite a title for a small museum. This museum was established in 1895 to house an exhibit of mounted specimens of animals, plants and minerals associated with the park. The current building was constructed in 1903 and was quite interesting looking rather like a large two storey log cabin. On the inside it was finished in wood panelling and had a large mezzanine gallery. It was quite interesting getting up so close to some of the birds and animals we had seen since we arrived in Canada and it helped us put a name on some that we did not know. Seeing the various moose, deer and elk heads mounted on the gallery walls as well as displays of other large mammals including a black and grizzly bear was quite strange. The museum curator, Norman Bethune Sanson from 1896 to 1932 was not replaced after his retirement, and the collections was largely a representation of the 1914 era - a museum of the yesteryear and very interesting to wander around - it was like stepping back in time.
The next museum was
quite different, located just across the road was the
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. The museum was the inspiration of Banff artists Peter and Catharine Whyte and is dedicated to the
cultural heritage of the Rocky Mountains from the Original inhabitants to the European settlers.
This museum was really fascinating and we particularly liked the way it had been displayed. We also enjoyed a separate private tour of two homes located just outside the museum itself.
Peter and Catharine Whyte’s home was in its original position, the other
Philip and Pearl Moore’s home had been moved to the site in 1971 from the corner of Banff Avenue and Fox Street.
These homes are kept locked and you can only visit with a guide and no photography is allowed. Our tour guide was a young local girl who was very informed on both houses, the owners and the contents therein and we spent an enjoyable hour touring both of these memorable homes. They really gave us an insight into the early days of Banff and we liked the fact that they retained their historic collections, furnishings as well as day to day items -
one even contained the original skis belonging to Peter and intricate crafts made by the Stoney people.
The Whyte Home Peter was born in Banff in 1905 and enjoyed growing up in the scenic mountains. His father Dave White (Peter changed the spelling of their surname) developed friendships with some of the travelling Stoney Indians, whose ancient hunting trail ran near their home. He met fellow student,
Catharine Robb at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Catharine was born in 1906 in Concord, Massachusetts. They married in 1930, and made Banff and the Canadian mountains their home. They built a studio where they lived and painted scenes of the mountains, lakes and glaciers that surrounded their home. They travelled extensively and continued to paint and draw through the 50s and 60s until Peter's death in 1966. Following his death Catharine began a new life on her own, focusing her energies on the community, travel, and conservation. She continued to support the Stoney people, both financially and through her support of their arts and crafts. In 1970, they honoured her by making her a blood sister and gave her the name Princess White Shield. In 1978
she received Canada's highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, she died aged 72 in Banff a year later.
The Moore Home Pearl’s parents John & Bella moved to Banff in 1888, she being the only girl in a family of seven siblings.
Philip was from a wealthy American family of distillers. He came to Banff in 1902 for a hunting trip with Pearl's brothers Bill and Jim and financed a pioneer outfitting and guiding business that later became Brewster Transport which is still Banff's premier transportation company.
Philip met Pearl and the rest is history as they say.
They built their home in the Rocky Mountain style at 131 Lynx Street in 1907 when they married. Their home was not like any other in Banff at that time though as it came complete with wiring, central heating and indoor plumbing - not quite like todays standards though but way ahead of the times. The Moores travelled the world extensively and amassed a collection of native artefacts along with artefacts relating to the region's history. Their living room houses their large collection with many unique Stoney Indian artefacts and inherited antiques. It had such
an amazing mass of memorabilia and was fascinating to view although you could not take it all in on such a short visit. After Philip's death in 1951, Pearl donated the house and its contents to her friend Catharine Whyte and it was moved to its current location. In fact Pearl was to live in the house again as she moved back for a few years before she died in Banff in 1974, it must have been quite strange for her to live in the same house but in a different location.
As well as the two homes there were several other smaller homes located in the grounds including the Crosby family home (Abegweit) and the Peyto and Sinclair Cabins; these had all been moved to the site for preservation, as well as the Mather Cabin and Windy Cabin.
Back in the museum one large exhibit was dedicated to
Mary (Schaffer) Warren whom we had come across at Lake Maligne when we hiked the Mary Schaffer Loop Trail. The collection included her writings, photographs, paintings and personal items. We particularly loved her wildflowers sketches, they were superb and we were able to buy small
Mary (Schaffer) Warren
poignant words ... ...prints in the museum shop. If you are interesting in reading her story I have detailed it below:
MARY (SCHAFFER) WARREN STORY A young Philadelphia Quaker woman she visited the mountains and fell in love with them and spent much of her active life exploring, painting, photographing and writing about them, before settling down in Banff and making a major contribution to its history and culture. Between 1889/1899 Mary accompanied her husband, botanist Dr. Charles Schaffer, who was collecting specimens in preparation for writing a book on mountain wildflowers. Mary dried and pressed the specimens, sketching and painting many of them. Her husband died in 1903 and she went on to finish his work, publishing the book
Alpine Flora of the Canadian Rockies, illustrated with her paintings. Assisting her in her work was a English guide, William ‘Billy’ Warren who taught her how to ride and how to enjoy camp life in the rugged mountain wilderness away from the fine homes and hotels that she was used to … … …
Mary and her friend Mollie Adams later explored deep into the mountain, even though such activity was thought to be most ‘unladylike’
Sampson Beaver and his family 1906
Mary (Schaffer) Warren's - famous photograph
now a popular postcard image
in the early years of the new century. They convinced Warren and fellow guide Sidney Unwin to provide the outfit and knowledge necessary to try to find ‘
Chaba Imne (Beaver Lake)’ an unknown lake hidden deep in an unexplored mountain valley that they had heard of from the local Stoney First Nation Indians but they failed to find a route to the mysterious lake.
Samson Beaver of the Stoney Nation was the son of Job Beaver, a guide and trail setter of the late 19th and early 20th century. As a boy of fourteen he accompanied his father on a trip to the lake. Sixteen years later Samson met Mary just after she had failed to find the lake and he sketched her a map detailing the route just from his memory. The following year in 1908 accompanied by Mollie, Sid and Billy and using the map provided by Samson, they at last found the beautiful lake … … …
Their quest, later described in Mary's book,
Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies, resulted in the first recorded visit to Jasper's beautiful lake now know simply as -
Maligne Lake. How magical
that must have been to set off and find this lake in the middle of the Canadian Rockies so far away from anything else. Even travelling there today with modern cars it still feels as though it is in the middle of the wilderness.
In honour of Samson and his wife, Leah’s contribution to her survey work and Rocky Mountain exploration, Mary named two peaks after them -
Samson Peak, located in the Maligne Lake Valley and nearby
Leah Peak. Samson, Leah and their daughter Frances Louise have been immortalised in a photograph by Mary - this photo has since become a highly popular post card image.
Upon completion of her explorations, Mary decided to spend more of her time in Banff. She asked Warren to find a lot and build her a home, and by 1912 he had completed construction of a beautiful, large cottage-style home. Mary named her new home
‘Tarry-a-while’ and in 1915, in a fairy-tale-like ending to their explorations together, married ’my Chief’, as she called Warren. He went on to a successful career operating the Alberta Hotel and Cascade Garage on Banff Avenue, while Mary entertained young friends and
made regular lecture trips to speak on the glories of the Canadian Rockies in the United States. By the time of her death in 1939, she was regarded as one of Banff's foremost citizens and one of the most interesting individuals in western Canada. I found her story fascinating and hope you do too - such an interesting pioneering woman.
MORE HIKING IN BANFF The next day we set off on the
Marsh Loop Trail, it was raining but not too heavy. The brochure said that it was an enjoyable trail that encircled a wetland filled with water from the hot springs flowing out of the lower slopes of Sulphur Mountain. However we will have to disagree with that as most of the trail was all churned up. We had not realised that it was a ‘dual purpose path’ shared with horses and I am afraid it was impossible to hike through thick mud and …… so we turned back which we do not like to do once started on a hike….…
Just at the end of the track we met Margy and Judy from LA who were looking for a boardwalk trail
and were a little confused as to where they were. The trail maps were a little confusing to say the least but we warned them not to go the way we had come from. We chatted to them for a while, they had just come from Alaska travelling in Margy’s Winnebago and it was great to swop stories with them.
We walked to the nearby
Cave & Basin National Historic Site. The original ‘basin’, a hot pool discovered by railway workers in 1883, became the start of Canada’s National Parks. The pavilion was a jewel in the crown of the national parks system when in opened in 1914 and it featured the largest pool of its kind in Canada. The bathhouse was rebuilt several times before finally closing in 1992. Recently reopened as a Museum the bathhouse itself had been sealed over with a tiled floor. It seemed a shame as it was in an idillic position overlooking the mountains. It was certainly impressive, but we wondered whether they might have found a way to turn these back into working hot pools, not just a museum. However according to a young ranger, the bathhouse is still intact
underneath and could be opened again one day. Money would be a big deciding factor though as she said that whereas it used to be profitable since most of the hotels in the area had their own ‘hot springs’ the tourists stopped coming.
Many of the early bathhouse structures were built by detainees held at Castle Mountain Internment Camp mentioned above. We walked along a short boardwalk trail above the bathing pavilion to see the cave vent and the location of a former hotel. Two small springs were still bubbling away from the mountainside both of which were filled with pink bacteria, white and green algae and some very small fish. Another trail below the building led to a lake and marsh area with a small bird hide but no birds in sight. We ran into Margy and Judy several times on the walks and as they were going to have to walk back to the village, we offered them a lift - they were both really pleased as like us they had walked their ‘socks off’ that day too.
Tomorrow we leave Banff and the scenic Canadian Rockies which we have
so enjoyed even though in places it has been really rather packed with 'us' tourists and will be heading South along the
Columbia Valley for some more adventures ... ... ... - see you there
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Thanks for the history
We always love your stories and snapshot of history. You've seen so much on this trip you must be getting sensory overload. Keep traveling and be safe.