Schmap Calgary Historical Background

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Calgary - Historical Background
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Calgary Home
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The city of Calgary has only been incorporated since 1904, but it is estimated that the Bow River Valley has been inhabited for the last 10,000 years. At the end of the last Ice Age, the ancestors of the present-day native tribes made their way across the Bering Sea from Siberia, traveling down through Alaska before settling in the Rocky Mountain foothills. There they formed the Blackfoot, Sarcee, Blood, Stoney and Shaganappi nations, and subsisted on the seasonal migrations of American buffalo herds. Their way of life remained relatively unchanged until the late 1870s, when Europeans hunted the buffalo to near-extinction. With the buffalo gone, the natives began trapping beaver and other fur-bearing mammals for the Hudson's Bay and North-West Trading companies, who set up trading posts in the Bow Valley and at Rocky Mountain House to the northwest. The local furs were especially prized by designers in Paris and New York for their richness and quality, and commanded high prices from the traders.

This lucrative market lured opportunists from the United States, who began selling cheap bootleg whiskey to the traders and native trappers. The resulting anarchy inspired the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to dispatch officers in 1894 to build Fort Calgary and restore order. Meanwhile, farmers were beginning to move onto the fertile Alberta prairies. The first settler in the area of what is now Calgary was a cattle rancher who started a small farm near the junction of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, in an area now known as Inglewood. His ranch was the first of hundreds built by the flood of immigrants that would soon pour into the region.

The Coming of the Railroad

In the late 1800s, Western Canada was still mostly wilderness and the Canadian government was afraid that the United States might try to annex the as-yet-undefined provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. To unite the nation, a railroad was proposed stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic. This railroad, which began construction in 1881, was to drastically change the nature of Calgary, and transform it from a remote frontier outpost into a bustling jumping-off point for the settling of the Western Prairies.

The Calgary town site had the good fortune to be built at the entrance to the Kicking Horse Pass, one of the few passages through the sheer eastern wall of the Rocky Mountains. The 10,000-12,000 foot-high peaks denied access to a railway all along their thousand-mile length, except for a narrow valley which led from Calgary into the heart of British Columbia. This meant that the railroad had to be routed through Calgary, which became a major supply station during the construction process. Hotels, saloons and shops sprang up to serve the construction workers, and the first trainloads of immigrant farmers and ranchers began pouring in. The fertile plains to the west of Calgary made ideal grain farming territory, while the rich and abundant natural grasses also produced a grade of beef unequaled in North America.

Discovery of Oil

In 1904 the City of Calgary was incorporated with a population of 6,000. It grew slowly until the event occurred that would determine the city's direction for the rest of the century. In 1914, just before the start of the First World War, huge reserves of oil were discovered in the surrounding hillsides. Half the local ranchers became instantly wealthy, and a boom rocked the city. When the demand for oil dried up after the war, recession set in and many residents set off to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

In 1930, seeking to revive the floundering local economy, an American promoter and four local ranchers set out to create the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. This celebration of cowboy culture and the ranching lifestyle became the most celebrated festival in Western Canada, and the rodeo competitions are still a showcase of the best and toughest cowboys and cowgirls in the world.

Modern Calgary

As the Second World War was winding down, a vast oilfield was discovered to the north, near Edmonton, ushering in a new boom. While most of the actual drilling and processing of the oil was ere centered on Edmonton, most company headquarters, refineries and related industries chose locations closer to the railroad in Calgary.

In the 1990s, many of Canada's largest corporations moved their head offices from the more traditional business centers of Montreal and Toronto and have set up shop in downtown Calgary. The electronics and e-commerce industries have found the community appealing and are now a driving force behind the city's development.

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Calgary Stampede

The greatest outdoor show

Stampede Park
Calgary, AB T2P 2K8
Canada
+1 403 261-0101(Info) / +1 403 269-9822 (Tickets) / +1 800 661 1767 (Tickets)
www.calgarystampede.com

More than a million people pass through the gates of Stampede Park each July to enjoy what's billed as the greatest outdoor show on earth: a rodeo, carnival, midway, agricultural fair and street party packed into the confines of a downtown park. This event really lives up to its billing and absolutely takes over the city, with locals and visitors alike going cowboy for ten days.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Mike Chen

Photo: kris krüg

Calgary Stampede photo by Michael Surtees

Photo: Michael Surtees

Calgary Stampede photo by rare_method2007

Photo: rare_method2007

Calgary Stampede photo by Roberta McDonald

Photo: Roberta McDonald

Photo: lumo2

Photo: bmnichols2007

Photo: nosalitar

Calgary Stampede photo by stampedeparade

Photo: stampedeparade

Photo: Sean Phillips

Photo: Margot

Photo: yuriboiblu

Calgary Stampede photo by Ian H. Neilson

Photo: Ian H. Neilson

Photo: sweetviscape

Photo: Jim Grant

Calgary Stampede photo by Maria Teresa Michelangeli

Photo: Maria Teresa Michelangeli

Calgary Stampede photo by Bill Nadraszky

Photo: Bill Nadraszky

Photo: Slava Zelenin

Photo: Georgie

Photo: Don Camacho

Calgary Stampede photo by Alistair Henning

Photo: Alistair Henning

Photo: dannysbeat

Photo: Evan Lewis

Photo: Kasama V.

Photo: Tonya Sam

Photo: Dan Bossler

Calgary Stampede photo by YatesLaberge.com

Photo: YatesLaberge.com

Photo: Thomas Fung

Photo: doris wilson

Calgary Stampede photo by Kristel Dekkers

Photo: Kristel Dekkers

Photo: Fiona Lane

Photo: dowens

Photo: Max Low

Photo: Curtis Eng

Calgary Stampede photo by Larry McClements

Photo: Larry McClements

Calgary Stampede photo by Paul Melting Tallow

Photo: Paul Melting Tallow

Calgary Stampede photo by Asamanja Mallik

Photo: Asamanja Mallik

Northeast

Calgary
Canada
The Northeast is separated from the rest of the city by the Deerfoot Trail, a freeway which carries most of Calgary's commuter traffic and is one of the most dangerous roads in Canada. Comprised mostly of older working-class neighborhoods interspersed with industrial areas, the Northeast is the place to find factory-outlet shopping, as well as the Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park and Calgary International Airport. The area around the airport is currently undergoing heavy development, whose goal is the transformation of a rather seedy district into a comfortable village where air travelers can find all types of accommodation, dining and shopping without ever leaving the area.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Wes Devauld

Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Calgary - Historical Background"
Calgary
Calgary - Neighborhood Guide
Calgary - Where to Stay
Calgary - Dining & Drinking
Calgary - Art & Entertainment
Other nearby cities:
Vancouver (676 miles)
Seattle (702 miles)
Boise (843 miles)
Portland (879 miles)
Salt Lake City (1165 miles)
Reno (1357 miles)
Boulder (1404 miles)
Lake Tahoe (1409 miles)
Denver (1448 miles)
Sacramento (1503 miles)

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