Canmore's history revealed!

The funny thing about Canmore is that most visitors come and enjoy their stay but don’t realise that they are entering a town so rich in historical facts, that no matter what activity they pursue, they could be experiencing it on a whole other level. Imagine hiking along one of the many paths in and around Canmore fully enjoying the freshness of the forest. However, you are also on the same path a coal miner walked on almost a century ago.

Canmore was named in 1884 by Donald A. Smith, a railway pioneer, in honor of King Malcolm III Canmore, ruler of Scotland (There actually is a coastal town in Scotland that carries the same name. Yes! Canmore, Scotland). At that time, settlers were arriving fast. Coal miners worked in centres nearby such as Georgetown, just where the Banff Park gates are today, Anthracite in what is now Banff National Park, and Bankhead, a little farther West. In 1886, Queen Victoria granted Canmore the rights for coal mining. The number one coal mining centre opened for business the following year.

Chaching ! $$$$$

With 3000 prosperity seeking pioneers, law and order became a concern. It was time for the North West Mounted Police detachment to build its first barracks in the early 1890’s for a cost of $450 Canadian. It was built close to where Main Street is today. (In 1929, these barracks became a private residence and remained this way for some 60 years. The town purchased and restored it in 1989 for a whoppin’ $450,000. The Mounted Police should have kept it till then and made the 1000 fold profit.)

In 1904, when Anthracite’s doors closed, Canmore’s importance as a coal mining town became very apparent. Many families moved to Canmore, and many buildings were moved by using the frozen Bow River . Imagine this! They even moved the one room school house and community hall when Georgetown closed in 1915. It may have only lasted three years but this tiny hamlet of no more than 200 citizens was considered the envy of several other coal mining communities in Alberta . Want to check it out? Believe it or not, you can still see the site by using the Nordic Centre’s trail system. Will you be the one to discover the abandoned cemetery deep in the alpine bush?

So what ever happened to the coal mining centre of Bankhead? Yup, you guessed it. It too experienced tough economic times and closed down in 1922. So what would you do if you were out of a job but there were still opportunities in a neighboring village? Once again, miners and their families moved to Canmore. Officially a town in 1965 with 2000 residents, Canmore continued on and for next 50 years or so, battling fluctuating markets, ownership changes and many other challenges. Even Canmore’s mining community had to face the facts.

The end of an era… and new beginnings!

Ceasing coal production in 1979 because of colapsing Japanese markets, Canmore Mines Ltd., had to shut its doors. Soon afterwards, the government took over and bulldozed just about everything . And then the ghosts came knocking…

Real Estate agents were hurting, property values were plummetting, the economic future of the community was bleak for Canmorians. But imagine the excitement in the early 1980’s with the announcement that this town would host the nordic events of the winter Olympics in 1988! What a huge break!

Now, if you own real estate in this paradise, you are one of the lucky ones! Canmore is now a thriving community that boasts four season activities and attracts tourists from all over the world. Never will it be a ghost town on the economic standpoint. But look, listen, touch - no matter what activity you pursue, and feel the whole experience!