BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 44

Rocky Mountains Park was to generate income for the government and the Canadian Pa-
cific Railway (CPR).
A Town Grows
After the discovery of the Cave and Basin across the Bow River from the railway station
(then known as Siding 29), many commercial facilities sprang up along what is now Ban-
ff Avenue. The general manager of the CPR (later to become its vice president), William
Cornelius Van Horne, was instrumental in creating a hotel business along the rail line. His
most recognized achievement was the Banff Springs Hotel, which opened in 1888. It was
the world's largest hotel at the time. Enterprising locals soon realized the area's potential
and began opening restaurants, offering guided hunting and boating trips, and developing
manicured gardens. Banff soon became Canada's best-known tourist resort, attracting vis-
itors from around the world. It was named after Banffshire, the Scottish birthplace of Ge-
orge Stephen, the CPR's first president.
In 1902, the park boundary was again expanded to include 11,440 square kilometers
(4,417 square miles) of the Canadian Rockies. This dramatic expansion meant that the park
became not just a tourist resort but also home to existing coal-mining and logging oper-
ations and hydroelectric dams. Government officials saw no conflict of interest, actually
stating that the coal mine and township at Bankhead added to the park's many attractions.
Many of the forests were logged, providing wood for construction, while other areas were
burned to allow clear sightings for surveyors' instruments.
After a restriction on automobiles in the park was lifted in 1916, Canada's best-known
tourist resort also became its busiest. More and more commercial facilities sprang up, of-
fering luxury and opulence amid the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. Calgarians built
summer cottages, and the town began advertising itself as a year-round destination. As atti-
tudes began to change, the government set up a Dominion Parks Branch, whose first com-
missioner, J. B. Harkin, believed that land set aside for parks should be used for recreation
and education. Gradually, resource industries were phased out. Harkins's work culminated
in the National Parks Act of 1930, which in turn led Rocky Mountains Park to be renamed
Banff National Park. The park's present boundaries, encompassing 6,641 square kilomet-
ers (2,564 square miles), were established in 1964.
Iceields Parkway
Natives and early explorers found the swampy nature of the Bow Valley north of Lake
Louise difficult for foot and horse travel. When heading north, they used instead the Pipe-