Life in Early Calgary: 8th Avenue

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About

While settlers from far and wide came to settle in Calgary in the late 19th and 20th centuries, this land was where the Plains First Nations lived, traded, and hunted bison for thousands of years. When European settlers eventually hunted the buffalo to extinction, some Indigenous peoples were forced to start ranching on their reserves in the surrounding areas.

Modern Calgary officially began with the building of the North West Mounted Police fort in 1875. By 1883 the Canadian Pacific Railroad reached Calgary, connecting this previously remote area to the rest of Canada and the world. The arrival of the railway was a truly transformative event, and brought with it an rush of immigrants from across Canada, Britain, and beyond. The next four decades were marked by explosive growth, taking the population from a few hundred in 1883 to 43,000 by 1911.xx1

This walking tour takes us down 8th Avenue, the heart of Calgary's commercial district for 140 years. Using photos from the period we will see what Calgary was like in those exciting days before the First World War, and we will examine some of the reasons i'ts become what it is today: a metropolis steeped in dreams of the West.

Links

• Website onthisspot.ca
• Download App apps.apple.com

Organizer

On This Spot

The On This Spot app takes people on guided walking tours through the history that surrounds them.

At each stop on their journey users will find themselves standing on the spot a historic photo was taken. They can view a then and now photo comparison, use the built in camera to create their own, and read about local history and how it ties into the broader human experience.

Based in Vancouver, On This Spot is working with heritage, tourism, and business organizations across Canada to expand the app's coverage.