The Fairmont Banff Springs is an internationally recognized symbol of Canadian hospitality. Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, appointed general manager of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has been credited with recognizing the tourism potential of the Canadian west. Van Horne maintained tourism was an intricate ingredient in getting people to ride CPR, the railroad uniting Canada’s East to the West. His philosophy reflected this awareness, "Since we can't export the scenery," he said, "we'll have to import the tourists." So to enhance traffic on the CPR, Van Horne envisioned a succession of lavish resort hotels along the railway line through the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains. This hotel opened to the public on June 1, 1888 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1992. From celebrities to heads of state, the beloved Castle in the Rockies is a crown jewel in Banff National Park.
BANFF COMMONWEALTH WALKWAY : Orange Walk – Spray River
Marker #37 - Van Horne
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, Copyright Library and Archives Canada / PA-182603