Jul 9, 2014

A Visit to the Banff Springs Hotel

It was the Canadian Pacific Railway that decided to construct a luxury hotel in Alberta's Rocky Mountains between 1887 to 1888. Banff Springs was intended to be a destination luxury hotel to draw tourists west to enjoy the newly formed Rocky Mountain Park (which later became Banff National Park) and to say it was a success is an understatement. 

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. The history behind the location is fascinating.


Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1900s









Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1920s


















Banff Springs Hotel ca. 1940s
















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