History, heritage & authentic mountain experiences

My first visit to the Canadian Rockies, at the age of seven, was the beginning of a life-long love affair. We toured in my parents' 1954 Chevy Coupe, and I slept on a folding cot in rustic $3-a-night tourist cabins that required short walks down wooded paths to communal washrooms. Back then I didn't realize that I would visit the area many more times, and ultimately make the mountains my home.

Coming from the American flatlands, my parents and I were first drawn to the impressive mountain landscape. But in subsequent visits we came to appreciate the natural history, arts and human heritage of the Canadian Rockies. In time we gained an enriched understanding of these stunningly beautiful surroundings.

Accommodations in the Rockies have certainly improved over the years, as have the heritage experiences that are now readily available to every visitor. Today there are myriad ways to leave the main streets and luxurious hotels of our mountain towns behind (at least for a while) to learn how people in the Canadian Rockies lived, worked and travelled in days gone by.

It Started Here
The modern history of the Canadian Rockies began at Banff's Cave & Basin National Historic Site, considered the birthplace of Canada's national park system. In 1883, railroad workers William McCardell, Tom McCardell, and Frank McCabe discovered the hot springs that would form the keystone of Banff National Park, founded in 1885. Interpretive panels (and guided tours) lead you through the site and along trails beside steaming waters and remarkable winter fauna.

Of course, the human history of the Canadian Rockies pre-dates the Cave & Basin discovery; First Nations have hunted, travelled and occupied summer domiciles in the Bow, Kootenay and Athabasca valleys for thousands of years. Banff's Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum presents the daily life of the First Peoples of the Plains and Canadian Rockies, both prior to and after European contact.

For insights into the domestic lives of pioneer families after the establishment of Banff National Park, The Whyte Museum hosts historical exhibits and conducts heritage homes tours. On site are the rustic Mather, Sinclair, Peyto and Windy cabins, as well as more refined residences full of art and period artifacts-the Luxton, Moore and Whyte homes.

Underground Economy
What do Bankhead, Anthracite, Georgetown, Pocahontas and Canmore have in common? While the first four Canadian Rockies communities no longer exist, all were hubs of a bustling coal mining industry; the Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre interprets this bygone era. The ruins of Canmore Mine No. 1, active from 1887 to 1916, can be seen along a 20-minute in-and-out trail across Spray Lakes Rd from the Quarry Lake parking lot. Wood-sided miner's houses still line older Canmore streets such as Three Sisters Dr. For a taste of what it might have been like to work underground take a Canmore Caverns caving adventure.

Rockies on the Rails
The sound of train whistles echoing off mountains is both evocative and historic. All Bow Valley (Hwy 1) and Athabasca Valley/Yellowhead Pass (Hwy 16) towns are linked by rail lines, and owe much of their existence and character to the railway's development. Fairmont Hotel's grand Banff Springs (1888) and Chateau Lake Louise (1890) were built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, while the Canadian National Railway developed the iconic Jasper Park Lodge (1922). With an eye to attracting passengers for his new rail line, hotel builder and railway baron Cornelius Van Horne famously remarked: "Since we can't export the scenery, we'll have to import the tourists." Train buffs will appreciate the 1926 Jasper Heritage Train Station, which has been restored to its original Arts and Crafts architecture; 1923 CNR steam locomotive 6015 is displayed beside the station. The Discovery Trail parallels the tracks, complete with railway history interpretive panels. The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum hosts archives and displays about the railway and other aspects of Jasper's history. In Lake Louise, the oldest building is the 1910 railway station that has been beautifully restored by the owners of The Station Restaurant (closed this winter). Visitors can feel the chug of a locomotive and the rhythm of the wheels during Jasper's half-day train tour with Jasper Adventure Centre or SunDog Tours. Departing town, the route crosses the Continental Divide at Yellowhead Pass and descends into BC along the Fraser River and past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. From the comfort of Via Rail coach cars tourists gaze out at the same pristine terrain and wildlife that explorer David Thompson saw in 1811. The sightseeing continues by road on the way back to Jasper.

Outdoor Adventure
Early explorers and guides enjoy legendary status in the Canadian Rockies; the Brewster brothers, Tom Wilson, Bill Peyto and Curly Philips live on as natural site and business placenames. In 1897 the Canadian Pacific Railway employed Peter Sarbach, the first Swiss Guide brought to Canada to ensure intrepid, well heeled tourists were escorted safely up mountains. This was in response to an accident a year earlier when American Philip Abbot became the area's first mountaineering fatality during his Mount Lefroy climb.

A 100 years ago, dog sleds, snowshoes, skates, skis and horse-drawn sleighs were common modes of winter transportation. Cars and high-speed ski area chairlifts may now be transport mainstays, but non-mechanized means of travel (often with guides who operate in the footsteps of Wilson and Sarbach) remain popular.

Visitors can choose from a wide variety of authentic backcountry adventures infused with elements of history and heritage (indexes, Banff and Jasper). For example, Discover Banff Tours' Snowshoe to The Paint Pots excursion visits springs of colourful ochre used by Aboriginal people for ceremonial purposes. This trip features stories about First Nations and pioneers, followed by a treat of prepared-over-a-fire and rolled-on-the-snow maple taffy.

During Jasper Adventure Centre's guided snowshoe tours, participants learn how to identify animal tracks and winter plants, plus enjoy camp cuisine around a fire. Near Canmore, Aboriginal-owned Mahikan Trails co-hosts a dog-sled adventure that focuses on native culture and includes medicinal plant lore and lunch in an igloo. Cold Fire Creek Dog Sledding operates west of Jasper along a 100 year-old trap line with a drive-your-own-team option. These tours provide a feel for how First Nations and pioneers once explored the area.

Bill and Jim Brewster took their first guiding assignment in 1892; English tourists wanted to fish for Rocky Mountain trout. Since then, six generations of the Brewster family have led hunting expeditions, pack trains, sightseeing trips and ski tours. Today the family receives guests at their Banff hotel, Kananaskis ranch and Shadow Lake backcounty lodge. The Brewster family transportation expertise is reflected in their horse-drawn sleigh rides on Lake Louise that offer an amazing perspective of glacier-draped peaks and the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

There is no doubt that visitors to the Canadian Rockies enjoy main street shopping, hotel Jacuzzi soaks and nights on the town. But the real Rockies can only be discovered through exposure to the area's arts, human heritage and natural history.

A Few Insider Heritage Tips
• Rent a heritage bathing suit ($2) from the Banff Upper Hot Springs and "take to waters" in early 1900s style.
• Attend informal coffee hour at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  through April.
• Stroll Johnston Canyon catwalks or the rim of Maligne Canyon to learn how water carves rock.
• Find art, artifacts and activity ideas in the Conference Centre basement of The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
• Pull up an armchair and read a free paper by the fireplace at the 1926 Jasper Library (500 Robson St; closed Sun).
• Call Jim Olver (403-762-6123) for a "behind the scenes" Banff Centre tour, or pick up the Self-Guided Tour brochure.
• Tune in Parks Radio 101.1 FM in Banff.
• See 25 photos of early Lake Louise found in a dusty corner of the Village archive at Deer Lodge (near the lake).
• Read information plaques posted in front of heritage buildings in all Canadian Rockies communities.
• Peruse esoteric books and magazines at the Reading Room of the 1903 Banff Park Museum.