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Top Attractions in Banff National Park

Chateau Lake Louise

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a Fairmont Hotel on the eastern shore of Lake Louise, near Banff, Alberta. The original Chateau was gradually built up at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway and was thus "kin" to its predecessors, the Banff Springs Hotel and the Château Frontenac. The hotels wooden Rattenbury Wing burned down on 3 July 1924, and was replaced by the current Barrot Wing one year later. The Painter Wing, built in 1913, is the oldest portion of the hotel still standing. The Mount Temple Wing, opened in 2004, is the newest wing of the hotel and features modern meeting facilities, including the Mount Temple Ballroom. The hotel was first conceived by the railway at the end of the 19th century, as a vacation destination to lure moneyed travellers into taking trains and heading West. By the time airplanes and automobiles had displaced the trains, it had gained sufficient renown to have a life of its own. In 1999, Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and adopted the Fairmont name for all of its hotels, resulting in the Chateau Lake Louise being operated as a Fairmont hotel. From the start, the goal was to exploit the stunning natural beauty of the emerald-green lake and of Victoria Glacier which rose above it. There were many hiking and canoeing itineraries for nature lovers. Eventually, all the natural areas around the hotel were incorporated into Banff National Park. This park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Originally built to function only in summer, the hotel was winterized in 1982 and now offers all of the regular ski resort fare during the winter months. In addition to the usual skiing, ice skating and snowboarding, there are sleigh rides, ice sculpture contests and snowshoe excursions. The hotel is also a popular place for special events, including hundreds of weddings, throughout the year. Currently, The Chateau Lake Louise resort hotel is owned by Oxford Properties, the real estate arm of OMERS and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto.

Banff Springs Hotel

The Banff Springs Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built during the 19th century as one of Canadas grand railway hotels, being constructed in Scottish Baronial style and located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel was opened to the public on June 1, 1888. Presently, The Fairmont Banff Springs resort hotel is owned by OMERS and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto. Banff Springs Hotel is situated at an altitude of 1414 m. The original building was designed by American architect Bruce Price. It was built between spring 1887 and spring 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway at the instigation of its president, William Cornelius Van Horne. The hotel is located within a spectacular setting in the Rocky Mountains, just above the Bow Falls, close to thermal springs. The main view from the hotel is across the valley and toward Mount Rundle, which frequently is cited in geology books for its exposed and tilted ancient seabeds. The hotel is within walking distance of the resort community of Banff. Starting in 1911, a wholly new structure was built in stages to replace the 1888 hotel. Prices Shingle style-influenced wooden structure was replaced with a new building of concrete and faced with stone. The new building was designed by another American architect, Walter S. Painter. Halfway up the internal staircase closest to the Bow Falls is found a noted painting of William Davidson felling trees on the Miramichi River during colonial times. Davidson, who had grown up in Moray, close to Banff, Scotland, was the first European settler in that area of Canada. The name borne by the Canadian city and the national park is derived from his native country. The painting of the pioneer is by the war artist Cyrus Cunoe, who executed a series of paintings for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Banff Springs Hotel is also reputedly haunted. Stories suggest a woman dressed in her wedding gown lost her life on the staircase. There were candles on the staircase when the bride was walking up them, when suddenly her dress caught fire, in a panic she tripped and fell down the stairs, dying from a broken neck. Many people have reported seeing her ghost in full wedding gown, often dancing in the ballroom.

Kicking Horse Pass

Kicking Horse Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff National Parks. A National Historic Site of Canada, the pass is of historical significance because the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed between Lake Louise, Alberta and Field, British Columbia using this route in 1880s, in preference to the originally planned route through the more northerly Yellowhead Pass. The pass was first explored by Europeans in 1858 by the Palliser Expedition led by Captain John Palliser. The pass and the adjacent Kicking Horse River were given their names after James Hector, a naturalist, geologist, and surgeon who was a member of the expedition, was kicked by his horse while exploring the region. The original route of the CPR between the summit of the pass near Wapta Lake and Field was known as "The Big Hill"; with a ruling gradient of 4.5 percent, it was the steepest stretch of main-line railroad in North America. Due to frequent accidents and expensive helper engines associated with railroading in the pass, the CPR opened a pair of Spiral Tunnels in 1909 that replaced the direct route. Although these tunnels add several kilometres to the route, the ruling grade was reduced to a more manageable 2.2 percent . The Trans-Canada Highway was constructed through the pass in 1962 following essentially the original CPR route. It reaches its highest point at the Kicking Horse Pass with an elevation of 1,643 metres . Divide Creek, a creek that forks onto both sides of the Continental Divide, is located at Kicking Horse Pass. Dave Broadfoot played The Honourable Member for Kicking Horse Pass in the CBC Television satirical series Royal Canadian Air Farce and in his personal standup routines.

Bankhead

Bankhead, Alberta was a small coal mining town that existed in the early twentieth century, in Banff National Park, near the town of Banff, Alberta. The mine was located at Cascade Mountain, which contains high grade anthracite coal deposits. The Bankhead coal mine was operated by the Pacific Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which needed the coal to fuel its steam engines. The mine began operations in 1903 and was the first anthracite mine in Canada. A local newspaper report published 17 June 1922 indicated that notices of the closure of the Bankhead Mines had recently been posted through that town. The notices made it clear that on and after 15 July the staff of Bankhead Mines would not be required and the coal operations would cease. The report concluded: "This would indicate that after the above date Bankhead will be a dead town so far as coal mining is concerned." This report concluded that no reasons were given for the closure, although it was generally understood that mining there had not been profitable. There had been a strike at the mine two months before this announcement, and the mines had been closed since that time. Another report on the mine closure noted that around 200 to 300 men were employed there with the output of coal running between 500 to 600 tons per day. The town population was around 1,000 people. All of Bankheads buildings were built and owned by the company and rented to the residents. In 1926, many of the towns buildings were moved to Banff and Canmore. The Bankhead Railway Station now sits on the grounds of the Banff Hostel on Tunnel Mountain Road. It has a map of the Bankhead townsite posted outside its front door. Today, an interpretive trail runs through Lower Bankhead. Signs are placed along the trail identifying the major buildings, as well as other interesting facts. Many foundations of buildings are visible. One building remains intact and contains displays viewed through the windows. Remains of the town are also visible adjacent to the Upper Bankhead parking lot. Bankhead is located on the Lake Minnewanka road, just a few minutes drive from the Banff townsite or the Trans Canada Highway. Near Bankhead was another coal mine, Anthracite. This mine was a failure because of heavy water inflow in the underground. The Anthracite mine shut down in 1904 and was abandoned.

Skoki Ski Lodge

The Skoki Ski Lodge National Historic Site of Canada was built in 1930-31 in the Skoki Valley of Canadas Banff National Park. Built by local members of the Ski Club of the Canadian Rockies, the lodge was the first commercial building built specifically to serve skiers in Canada, and possibly in North America. Design and construction work was carried out by local outfitter and builder Earl Spencer with help from Spud White and Victor Kutschera. The lodge was progressively expanded through 1936 by outfitter, guide and log home builder Jim Boyce who was also managing the Lodge the time. It has remained unaltered since that time. The Lodge operates throughout the year. The Skoki Ski Lodge is 6.8 miles from the nearest road. The lodge was conceived by Clifford Whyte and Cyril Paris. The first version of the lodge was a single story log building, 25 feet by 16 feet . A resting shelter, the Halfway Hut, was built the following year halfway between Skoki and the Lake Louise railway station. A kitchen and two cabins were also built that year. Management was taken over by Clifford Whytes younger brother Peter and his wife Catharine of whom the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies is named. After the 1932 season, when a guest was killed in an avalanche, Jim Boyce took over management and continued to operate the camp through the 1930s. A major expansion took place in 1935-36. The upper story rooms were added at this time, as well as a bathhouse and more cabins. In 1972 the lease passed from the Ski Club to Lockes Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. The camp was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1992. The first non-native to explore the Skoki Valley was James Foster Porter of Illinois in 1911. Porter and his companions suggested many names for the beautiful place, including the "Skokie Valley" which was later revised to Skoki. Skoki, the new spelling, is a Native word for "swamp" which does not actually reflect the valley. Porter was so impressed with the name that a suburb in Chicago near his home was later renamed Skokie. The lodge was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1992 for its contribution to early tourism in the national parks and as an example of the rustic designs style. During the 2011 royal tour of Canada, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stayed at the lodge.

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