Banff Springs Hotel in Banff National Park

From the beginning, the Banff Springs Hotel was intended to be a luxury destination to draw railroad tourists west to enjoy the newly formed Rocky Mountain Park (which later became the world famous Banff National Park in Alberta). It was the Canadian Pacific Railway that constructed this grand castle in the Canadian Rocky Mountains between 1887 to 1888.  

Naturally, the structure has been expanded upon and renovated regularly since it first opened, making it almost unrecognizable from the initial hotel. However, the rich storyline and architecture of the Banff Springs made it a National Historic Site in 1988. The hotel has hosted an impressive array of guests from Winston Churchill to Marilyn Monroe, and there's no denying that the Banff Springs is still very much an icon of the Canadian Rockies. 

Banff Springs Hotel Lobby ca. 1920s

Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1900s

Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1920s

Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1940s