In 1883, three workers from the Canadian Pacific Railway discovered a cave in the Bow River Valley that amazed them with its beauty. It was filled with mist and thermal springs. They promptly began to plot ways to get rich from it.
There were many squabbles over the ownership of the land because of its money-making potential. The area became famous to early settlers as a spa for the elite.
The Canadian government resolved the ownership dispute by creating Banff National Park. No private individual could own the land, only the government could.
The Canadian government wanted to create a national park to attract tourists, settlers and prestige to the young nation.
With an area of 2,564 miles, Banff National Park is now known as a habitat for a diverse range of rare and endangered species, including a snail found nowhere else in the world.
