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The
Bow River
In the beginning, the Bow is a mountain
river-with the steady, ice-cold drip of the Bow Glacier, the frosty
trickle of Rocky Mountain streams, the breathtaking aqua blue of Lake
Louise, the whitewater of the upper gorge, the aspen parklands of the
foothills. In the middle, it is a transition river, with rolling
foothills to the west, treeless grain fields to the east, criss-cross
bridges, pathways and trails, the towering skyline of Calgary, wide,
green valleys and grassy banks lined with cottonwood and spruce. In the
end, it is a prairie river, bordered by endless fields of wheat, barley
and canola stretching across the wind-swept plains.
The
Bow River, 623 kilometers in length, flows through Banff National Park,
one of the most famous and most visited nature reserves in the world. It
forms the heart of the city of Calgary, home to one million people and
the commercial and cultural center of southern Alberta. It provides
life-giving moisture to millions of hectares of prairie farmland, and
endless excitement to fly fishers, hikers, campers, canoeists, kayakers,
birdwatchers and naturalists. It has a proud First Nations history, and,
with continuing care, a promising future.
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History
Bites
Treacherous
Traders: Robbery, mischief and
murder went unpunished and unchecked in the whiskey trading days
of 19th century southern Alberta. In 1875, the North-West
Mounted Police built Fort Calgary at the confluence of the Elbow
and the Bow, restoring law and order to a land that had fallen
into carelessness and chaos.
Fishy
Facts
Fortuitous
Fish: The brown trout that thrive in the Bow today
attract fly fishers from around the world. But they got there by
accident in 1925, when a truck full of trout fry broke down at
the Carrot Creek bridge. |
Hunting
for a Name
The Bow River received its name not for
its curves but from the bow reeds that grow along its banks.
The
History
Banff
National Park Springs to Life
The pleasures of sulphurous, health-restoring natural hot springs were
no secret to the First Nations people who lived in the Bow River Valley.
But in 1882, they were a source of amazement and delight to the three
Canadian Pacific Railway workers who stumbled upon them during a hike in
the Rocky Mountains.
Word of the hot springs, just a few kilometers up the mountain from the
Bow (in present day Banff), spread quickly. Within two years, the
springs were attracting their first European visitors, and by 1886, the
first rudimentary bathhouse was constructed on their site. (A series of
increasingly sophisticated plunge baths, swimming pools and steam rooms
followed, with today's version now restored to its 1930's glory.
Hotel
Hot Spot: News of the hot springs discovery also attracted
William Pearce, Canadian Superintendent of Mines, in 1885. Pearce
convinced the federal government to establish the Banff Hot Springs
Reserve (soon re-named the Rocky Mountain Park Reserve.) In 1888, when
the Banff Springs Hotel opened its doors for the first time, an
astonishing 5,000 tourists travelled by rail to enjoy the waters of the
Cave and Basin Hot Springs.
With the passage
of the National Parks Act in 1930, making all federal parks national
parks, Rocky Mountain Park became Banff National Park. Today's park,
famous the world over for its wildlife and mountain scenery, now covers
6,734 square kilometers of territory.
Bootlegging
on the Bow
The natural rhythm of aboriginal life in the Bow River Valley began to
falter in the early nineteenth century, with the arrival of European
explorers, Hudson's Bay fur traders, church missionaries-and the
devastating scourge of smallpox. The buffalo, which had sustained the
indigenous Blackfoot Confederacy for centuries, had been hunted to
near-extinction. Starvation and disease ravaged the First Nations
population; in 1836, a virulent smallpox outbreak killed two-thirds of
the Blackfoot, and by 1877, only 255 Sarcee were left alive.
Land of Lawlessness: From 1864 to 1874,
with the price of beaver pelts-and the occasional buffalo hide-still
commanding high prices in Europe, American free traders and rootless
veterans from the American Civil War flooded into southern Alberta.
Trading bootleg whiskey for furs trapped by downtrodden locals, the
American opportunists spawned a decade of violence and chaos. Working
from unruly trading posts with names like Fort Whoop-Up and Slide-Out,
they presided over the near-collapse of the First Nations culture,
unchallenged by any system of law and order.
Siding
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Today over 3,000,000
people flock to this out of the way rail station which is now
commonly referred to as Banff. This jewel of Canada's west has
risen from its humble beginnings to become a world famous
tourist destination. |
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Photo:
Chief Crowfoot:NAC A134919
A
Man of Honor
Respected in his time, immortalized by artists, Chief Crowfoot
(1830-1890) of the southern Alberta Blackfoot Nation, faced the
perils wrought by European infiltration with wisdom and
forbearance. Initially suspicious of police efforts to rid the
region of unscrupulous whiskey traders, the Chief eventually
recognized the need to protect his people from the bottle's
scourge. Declaring that land was more valuable than money, and
that it could not be owned, Chief Crowfoot nonetheless honoured
a treaty which relinquished 130,000 square kilometers of
territory to the Canadian government.
Fort Calgary Historic Park
Don the scarlet jacket of a North-West Mounted Police uniform
and show up for roll call at the re-creation of Fort Calgary,
circa 1875. At this National and Provincial historic site, you
can also visit the Interpretive Centre to hear stories and meet
characters from Calgary's past. |
In
1875, with the Canadian government fearing further American domination,
the "F" Troop of the North- West Mounted Police was sent north
from Fort Macleod to stem the insidious whiskey trade. Over the course
of six weeks, Inspector E. A. Brisebois and fifty of his men built a
mud-chinked, rough log fort at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow
rivers. Named Fort Calgary, a Gaelic term for "clear running
water," the primitive palisade became the first building of the
modern city of Calgary.
Home on the Range: John Ware and Brand 9999
Of all the legendary cattle ranchers who took advantage of the grazing
lands and railway routes of the Bow River Valley in the late 1800's,
pioneer John Ware is the most colourful. A former Afro-American slave
who gained his freedom after the Civil War, Ware followed a cattle drive
north to the Bar U Ranch near High River, Alberta in 1882.
Ware quickly established
his own small spread on Ware Creek, a tributary of the Sheep River and a
spawning stream of the Bow. His skill in taming the wildest of broncos,
wrestling the largest of steers, fighting the toughest of rustlers and
surviving the fiercest of blizzards earned him an enduring reputation
for fearlessness and integrity. Ware is still known for his cattle brand
9999.
The
Ecosystem
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Emerald
green waters
Silt and sunlight combine to change brown waters into a
remarkable emerald green at the headwaters of the Bow River. |
Elk:
Giant Deer of Banff National Park
On a bright spring morning in the Bow Valley, just outside of Banff, the
clues are everywhere. Dark chew marks scar the trunks of aspen trees.
Pawing hooves have rubbed the snow away, and left their tracks in nearby
mud. A few hairs here, some telltale droppings there all are
evidence that there are elk nearby.
Stay at least 50 metres
away (elk hooves can be sharp!), but have your camera ready.
Big, brown, white-rumped
and stubby-tailed, elk are the second largest deer in Banff National
Park (next to the mighty moose). Of all large animals, including other
deer caribou, mule deer, white-tailed deer they are the most
numerous. They are also the Park's main plant eaters, and the main prey
of predators such as wolves.
Sometimes known as
"wapiti" a Shawnee word for "white rump" the
elk of the Bow Valley are both grazers and browsers. A steady diet of
grasses, plants and leaves fattens them up for the fall mating season,
while a woody ration of dried twigs and bark sustains them through the
winter.
Barking
and Bugling: Elk can be surprisingly noisy, barking to warn of
danger, or maintaining two-way contact between cows and calves with
squeals, chirps and mews. The whistling "bugle" of a mature
bull in breeding season attracts cows to his harem and serves notice of
his size and prowess to other males.
Elk cows and bulls meet
only during the fall mating season. In early summer, cows give birth to
single offspring, closely guarding their well-camouflaged spotted calves
in tall grass and thickets. Within a few weeks, cows, calves and young
bulls join together in a summer herd, while mature bulls feed alone, or
in small bachelor groups.
An important part of the
Park food chain, elk are hunted by cougars, wolves and bears.
Cars and trains also play
a part in elk mortality, with several dozen dying each year from human
intervention. In recent years, around the town of Banff, elk have become
drawn to urban habitats, endangering both themselves and those who
underestimate their wildness.
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The
Rocky Mountain Whitefish
While it may be the high-profile latecomers the brown and
rainbow trout that attract sport fishers to the Bow,
experienced anglers know that plucky mountain whitefish, the
river's long-time residents, can also bend a rod and fight a
line.
Unlike the trout,
which are an introduced species, mountain whitefish are native
to the Bow, and are the most abundant sport fish in the river.
Spawning throughout its upper half, the fish thrive on cold,
clear water pouring from the mountain glaciers. Reaching an
average size of 50 centimetres and 1.5 kilograms, with a grayish
blue back and a dull white belly, the mountain whitefish has a
small, toothless mouth. It is this delicate, hard-to-hook mouth
that provides an exciting angling challenge.
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 Animal
Alley: Preserving Wildlife Corridors
Searching for food, looking for mates, seeking a place to nest or rest
the animals of the Bow Valley depend on protected routes that allow
them to move safely between lowland and mountain habitats. As railways,
highways, and urban development have closed in on the lands of the Bow
River Basin, government and National Park officials have recognized the
need to restrict development and limit human access in narrow but
crucial wildlife corridors.
 Large
carnivores such as bears, cougars, and wolves need a well-forested
travel route of at least 250 metres in width, covering the shortest
possible distance between types of habitat. Smaller animals reap the
benefits of a bypass free of human threat. Three well-defined wildlife
corridors around the town of Banff help to keep elk and coyotes from
becoming dangerously tolerant of people.
The
Culture
Blackfoot
and the Buffalo
Mountains to the west, buffalo to the east-and a Chinook-warmed,
wooded valley in the middle. For at least 10,000 years, the Bow
Valley offered the Blackfoot Nation of central Alberta a
strategic base for their nomadic, communal lifestyle. At the
height of its power, the Blackfoot Confederacy extended from the
North Saskatchewan River south to Missouri, and from the
Alberta-Saskatchewan border to the Rocky Mountains. Within the
confederacy, the Blackfoot (Siksika), the Blood and the Peigan
shared a common language and culture.
In 1877, they also shared Treaty
No. 7 with the Tsuu T'ina Nation (the Sarcee) and the Stoney (Bearspaw,
Chiniki and Wesley/Goodstoney), when the Government of Canada
proceeded with the land agreements required to build a
transcontinental rail link with British Columbia.
Buffalo
Heritage: The bison, or buffalo, remains the enduring
cultural symbol of the Blackfoot Nation. For centuries, the
mighty beast of the plains provided food, clothing and shelter,
and was revered as a holy, life-giving animal. Herds were
ambushed with bows and arrows, or stampeded over steep
embankments.
Perhaps winning the prize for the
most apt-and possibly most gruesome-name of an historical site
is the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump near Fort McLeod, about two
hours south of Calgary. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1981, the Interpretive Centre portrays the bison-hunting
lifestyle of the Blackfoot for the past 5,500 years.
The late
19th century was a dark and difficult time for the Blackfoot.
With the buffalo hunted to extinction by the 1870's, starvation
was rampant, and smallpox and other European-borne disease took
a tragic toll. Although fur trading had replaced some economic
activity, a decade of unscrupulous exploitation by American
whiskey traders in the 1860's and 1870's further weakened the
Nation. The Treaty of 1877 established a new relationship with
the Dominion of Canada. Today the Blackfoot Indian Reserve
occupies lands on the Bow River between Carseland and Bassano.
With a
long territorial history that precedes the geography of the 49th
Parallel, the Blackfoot of southern Alberta continue to maintain
their cultural ties with the Blackfoot of northern Montana.
Cowboy
Culture
Riding, roping, and chuckwagon races are part of the thrills-and
spills-of Calgary's annual Calgary Stampede. But for farmers and
ranchers along the Bow River south and west of Calgary, and on
The Cowboy Trail, stretching north to Mayersthorpe, saddle
skills and spurs are still a part of everyday life.
Cowboy clothes,
cowboy art, and cowboy food-including prime Alberta beef-reflect
the Old West heritage. Independence and traditional family
values are the legacy of a pioneer land that demanded strength
and perseverance.
If you've
ever wondered what it's like to ride the range or round up
cattle, you can find out on a Cowboy Trail ranch or farm
vacation. Help with the chores on a working operation, or take
in the nearest community rodeo.
The Bar U
Ranch National Historic Site
To comprehend the scope of ranching in western Canada, take a
drive south of Calgary to the site of one of Alberta's foremost
ranching operations. From 1882 to 1950, the Bar U was one of the
prominent corporate ranches in the industry, and a training
ground for many cattlemen. Like the Cochrane, the Oxley, the
Walrond and the Quorn, other notable ranches of the past, the
Bar U helped to shape the ranching industry.
First Nations
Art and Culture at the Glenbow
At the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, visitors can view a 19th
century quilled Blackfoot shirt, decorated with dyed porcupine
quills, human hair, paint and feathers. They can also marvel at
the stories told on the painted hide of a buffalo robe, a record
of the feats and triumphs of a Plains warrior from long ago.
Founded in
1966 by a gift from lawyer, rancher, oil man and international
collector Eric Harvie, the Glenbow is now western Canada's
largest museum, gallery, library and archives. The Glenbow's art
collection focuses on the history and development of
northwestern North America, including the building of the
railways and the works of Canada's First Peoples. The museums'
artifacts, filling more than 20 galleries, portray the lives of
western Canada's early explorers and settlers, and document
First Nations traditions and culture.
Bow
River Recreation
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The
Accidental Trout
Although they thrive today, brown are not native to the
waters of the Bow. While haphazard, intermittent
stocking efforts occurred throughout the early 1900's,
it was only by accident that the brown trout population
truly took hold. In 1925, a truck carrying brown trout
intended for more distant Alberta streams broke down at
the Carrot Creek bridge, upstream of Canmore. Faced with
a tank-load of dying fish, the driver released 45,000
fry into the creek. Many fish survived, and today's blue
ribbon brown trout fishery was underway. |
Bow
River Fly Fishing
From
Banff to Bassano: Fishing the Blue Ribbon Bow
Big fish and lots of 'em-it doesn't get any better for fly
fishers than the Bow River stretch between Calgary and
Carseland.
That's where they'll find an astounding 1,500 catchable fish per
kilometer, and where hooking a 50 centimeter brown or rainbow
trout is all in a day's fishing. No matter what the angling
method - streamers, dry-fly or nymph - and no matter what the
fishing approach - standing, walking, drifting or canoeing -
chances are good that Bow River sport fishers will be rewarded
with a good fight and an impressive catch.
Enhanced by a natural network of ideal spawning streams and
apparently helped, rather than hindered, by effluent-enriched
flows below the city of Calgary, the trout fishery of the middle
Bow has thrived over the last five decades. Over 50 Bow River
guide and outfitting companies, serving at least 3,000 fly
fishers every year, now bring $30 million into the local
economy.
While the 80 kilometer stretch of the Bow from Calgary to
Carseland is famous for its brown and rainbow trout, the upper
Bow also offers superb fishing in a breathtaking mountain
setting. Native mountain whitefish, bull trout (Dolly Varden)
and cutthroat trout thrive in the cold, glacier-fed waters above
Banff. As the Cave and Basin Hot Springs and Banff town effluent
slightly warm the river below Banff, brown trout begin to make
their appearance.
Below
Carseland, on the lower Bow, the cold-water fishery gives way to
warm-waters species such as northern-pike, walleye, goldeneye
and sauger.
Mountain
Biking, Cross-Country Skiing
at Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park
When Canmore, Alberta, on the Bow River northwest of Calgary,
hosted cross-country skiing events for the 1988 Winter Olympic
Games, subsequent visitors inherited a world-class skiing and
mountain biking facility. Over 60 kilometers of groomed, track set
trails offer novice, intermediate and advanced Nordic skiing,
while summer trails test the skills of dirt-seeking mountain
bikers.
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