Panorama of Banff from Sulphur Mountain
by John Twynam
Title
Panorama of Banff from Sulphur Mountain
Artist
John Twynam
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Photograph
Description
The small town of Banff, Alberta is seen in this panoramic view from the top of Sulphur Mountain in the late afternoon sun.
Located along the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, it's the first municipality to incorporate within a Canadian national park. Known for its mountainous surroundings and hot springs, the resort town is one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations, featuring outdoor sports, extensive hiking, biking, scrambling, and skiing destinations within the area.
Banff was first settled in the 1880s, after the transcontinental railway was built through the Bow Valley. After the discovery of a series of natural hot springs in 1883, Canada established a federal reserve of 26 square kilometres (10 square miles) around these springs, and began promoting the area as an international resort and spa as a way to support the new railway. In 1887, the reserve area was increased to 673 square kilometres (260 square miles) and named "Rocky Mountain Park" - the beginning of Canada's National Park system.
The Banff townsite was developed near the railway station as a service centre for tourists visiting the park. It was administered by the Government of Canada's national parks system until 1990 when the Town of Banff became the only incorporated municipality within a Canadian national park.
An Internment camp was set up at Banff and Castle Mountain in Dominion Park from July 1915 to July 1917. The prisoners of the internment camp were used as free labour to build the infrastructure of the national park.
In 1985, the United Nations declared Banff National Park, as one of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, a World Heritage Site.
Source: Wikipedia
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July 28th, 2021
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