Welcome to Calgary

Click to see this spectacular photo full size (Canadian Wellsite).
Here is a Satellite Image.

Virtual Tourist of Alberta and the Canadian Rockies

Howdy!

The largest city in Alberta, Calgary (a.k.a. "Cowtown" to fans and detractors alike) is located in the south-western part of the province. Calgary is home to the world-famous "Calgary Exhibition and Stampede," and is ideally situated in the province for use as a "base" to explore the natural, cultural, and historic wonders of Alberta. Home to much of the Canadian oil and gas industry, Calgary is a vibrant modern city filled with skyscrapers and modern amenities. The city has taken care to ensure that numerous "green" areas are easily accessible, combining the best of both worlds.

The City of Calgary website provides extensive information on Calgary's history, economy and government.

The City of Calgary has a population of roughly 850,000, and lies at an altitude of 1,049m. The weather in Calgary varies quite dramatically, from lows reaching -40C (albeit rarely) in the winter, to highs in excess of 30C in the summer. Calgary is subject to periodic "chinook winds" of warm air from the mountains during the winter which can cause the temperature to rise by more than 15C in just a few hours.

Some History

The human history of the Calgary region begins, as with all Alberta, with the native Canadians, over 12,000 years ago. The cultures which existed during the arrival of the European traders and settlers were the Blackfoot, Sarcee and Stoney. The first Europeans included David Thompson and Peter Fidler in the 1780's and 1790's, both of whom were associated with the fur trade.

The 1860s saw increasingly large numbers of buffalo hunters to the region. These hunters were joined in by whiskey traders who set up forts in which to trade their "whisky" for furs from the local natives. One such post is near the present day Glenmore Reservoir.

In response to the whisky-traders the "North West Mounted Police" (precursors to the modern "Royal Canadian Mounted Police") were established, and their second outpost was located at the junction of the Bow and Elbow rivers in 1875, and was to become known as Fort Calgary. By the early 1880's the railway reached Fort Calgary, and the town-site that was to become known as Calgary was established shortly thereafter. Calgary was incorporated as the first town in Alberta in 1884 and officially became a city in 1893.

Some links courtesy of Chinook County Historical Society .

The Calgary Public Library has more info including a Virtual Tour of Historic Calgary .

ViewCalgary.com photos, virtual tour.

What to see in Calgary

For a visitor to Calgary during the Stampede, this will be the number one thing to see. However, there are a number of other "must-sees" that should not be missed.

• The Calgary Tower: Located in downtown Calgary, the the distinct shape of the tower rises 191 meters above the city. The observation terrace provides continuous views of the city and the nearby mountains. A restaurant is available for your dining pleasure. The elevator ride to the terrace (and restaurant) is available for a nominal charge.

• The Calgary Zoo, Botanical Gardens and Prehistoric Park: Located on the edge of the Bow River near downtown Calgary, the zoo is one of the premier zoos in Canada, if not North America. The zoo is made up of more than 1100 mammal, reptiles, amphibians and birds, including a troop of western lowland gorillas. The zoo has an international reputation for its efforts in breeding endangered animals. The already excellent habitats are being supplemented with "The Canadian Wilds," a large area where natural habitats are being created for the animals to roam freely within.

  The zoo is also home to a botanical garden with a tropical rainforest and butterfly garden.

  In addition, the zoo has recently completed upgrading its Prehistoric Park, 6.5 acres of recreated Mesozoic landscape filled with 22 life size dinosaur replicas placed in what may have been natural surroundings.

• Heritage Park: Located on the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir, Heritage Park creates the atmosphere of a pre-1915 village on 26 hectares of land. The site includes a general store, an opera house, a blacksmith shop, bakery (highly recommended), penny-candy store (ditto), a working steam railroad with a roundhouse, turntable, snow-plow, wye and several other exhibits of antique train equipment including two engines at the entrance to the park. A 200 passenger paddle-wheel boat cruises the reservoir during the summer. Open mainly during the summer months and some winter weekends for hay-rides.

• The Calgary Highlanders Museum: Located at the Museum Of the Regiments, 4520 Crowchild Trail. The Museum chronicles the evolution of the 103rd Regiment (Calgary Rifles), 10th Battalion and the Calgary Highlanders. The gallery highlights their significant battles and achievements. Animated dioramas depict the grim realities of war and are vivid reminders of the heroism of Canadian soldiers. Together with photographs, documents, medals, weapons and uniforms, the gallery unfolds the history of this proud regiment.

Other sites worth visiting in Calgary include the Calgary Science Center , Canada Olympic Park (home to much of the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary), the Glenbow Museum, the Nickle Arts Museum, and Fort Calgary Historic Park (site of the original Mounted Police post, with historic and interpretive center). Just outside Calgary, on the way to Banff, Calaway Park offers Western Canada's largest outdoor theme park. You might also be interested in the Calgary Aerospace Museum, Naval Museum of Alberta and the Grain Academy Museum (See:Museums Alberta - Calgary).