Banff in Former Days

Especially with the terrible flooding in Alberta, and especially because I'm originally from there, I thought it would be a good time for some beautiful pictures from the province.

Banff, in the Rocky Mountains, has been a tourist destination since the 1880s. The incredible Banff Springs Hotel has been around almost as long, going through a few renovations in the progress. I've put these in mostly chronological order, because I think it's fantastic to see how the landscapes (and the views photographed) stay the same, while the hotel and town change.

(By the way, that river going through the valley is the one that's currently on top of Calgary...)

Musée McCord Museum

The Banff Springs Hotel, about 1887. Source

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The Bow River Valley from the Hotel, 1887. Source

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The Bow River Falls, 1887. Source

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Bird's eye view of Banff, about 1887. Source

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Banff Main Street, about 1887. Source

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Emerald Lake, Banff, about 1889. This photograph is apparently overpainted, but alas, digitized in greyscale. Source

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The Banff Springs Hotel from Tunnel Mountain, 1892. Source

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The Hotel from the road down to the Falls. Source

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The Bow Valley from the Banff Springs Hotel, 1897. Source

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Hoodoos (still there today) and the Bow Valley, 1897. Source

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The bridge over the Bow River, 1903. Source

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A view of the Hotel, 1904. Source

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A view of the Hotel from the opposite angle, over the river and falls. Source

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The town of Banff from Tunnel Mountain, 1909. Source

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Cascade mountain from the Hotel, about 1910 (tinted lantern slide, as are the following coloured photographs). Source

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The Banff Springs Hotel, about 1920. Source

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Cascade mountain, the Bow river, and the town of Banff, about 1920. Source

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The Hotel (in its current form) and the valley, about 1927. Source

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Lake Louise, near Banff, about 1930. Source

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Mount Rundle, about 1930. Source

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The pool at the hotel, about 1935. Source

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The Bow River Valley, with Banff Springs Hotel, about 1935. Source

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Or, if those colours aren't warm enough for you.... Source