Early evidence of campsites and pictographs on canyon walls attest to native occupation in the Bow Valley dating back to 11000 B.C.. The plains Indians used the Mountain passes while hunting and trading as early as 1750 AD. Then there were the explorers and mapmakers…. And the Canadian Pacific Railway carved a path through the Rockies, located hot springs, and built hotels along the way.
Coal was located in quality deposits and mining became a way of life in the Bow Valley. Mines were opened in Bankhead and Canmore and history goes on. Canmore and Banff had their formal beginnings in 1883; Banff as a tourist destination and Canmore as a service center; both used by the CPR.
 Legislation was passed to establish Rocky Mountain Park in 1887 and it was renamed Banff National Park in 1930. From 1902 until the boundaries were changed in 1930, Exshaw and Canmore were inside of the Park. The United Nations declared all Rocky Mountain Parks as a World Heritage Site in 1985. The Canmore Mines were closed in 1979 as demands for coal diminished when other forms of more efficient and cheaper fuels were developed. Tourism has become a key component in the economic base.
Calgary gained the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics, and Canmore became the center for the Nordic venues. The Province of Alberta developed Kananaskis Country and Peter Lougheed Park during the 1983-87 period. Tourism remains strong in Banff, and Canmore is rapidly becoming a tourist destination as well.
Good clean air, fresh cold water, and a pristine Mountain environment support the vegetation and wildlife that give us our future. Eco tourism and a quality lifestyle are what we have to offer and it must be preserved for future generations. The Canadian Rocky Mountains are unique and provide tremendous recreational opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. Areas in the Bow Valley, even those outside the National and Provincial Parks, that are presently not dedicated for development, are now part of a "Special Places 2000" area and will be preserved. Canmore and Banff are certainly the "jewels" of the eastern slopes in the Canadian Rockies.
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