Banff's Historic Homes: What Everyday Life in The Rockies Really Looked Like

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By Brendon Timmins, Museum Interpreter

When you walk through this front door, suddenly it’s the early 20^th century. The rooms hum with the lives of the people who lived and loved in this town, their routines, their relationships, their ambitions. If you’re looking for something meaningful to do in Banff this summer, the Banff Historic Homes Tour is exactly that. It’s a chance to feel how everyday life in the Rockies unfolded, told through the homes and lives of two remarkable families who left a lasting mark on the Rockies. They are Philip and Pearl ‘Brewster’ Moore, and Peter and Catharine Whyte, and they shared their homes with us so that we may see what life was like in their time.

The Moore Home: A Life Built for the Trail

My favourite thing about the home of Philip and Pearl Moore is that it feels like a basecamp mid-

expedition, perpetually ready for the next adventure. Pearl was a Brewster, and that name has run through the history of the Banff townsite since its beginning. The Brewsters outfitted tourists and guides and knew these mountains intimately, and that interest is all over their house, which was built in 1907!

In the first room, you can see a plethora of Pearl’s horse-riding gear ready to go for another adventure. It’s the familiar rhythm of a life organized around seasons, trails, and the wilderness just outside the door.

All the rooms are full of the texture of that world, the gear, the photographs, the sense that horses were saddled and ready just around the back. Pearl and Philip forged their friendships along the trail, building a life that was inseparable from the Rockies themselves. If you decide to join us on a tour, you’ll learn about who they were, their ambitions, and their legacies, as well as how we at the museum are continuing to learn more about history through this time capsule.

The Whyte Home: A Painter's Paradise

A few steps down the path next to a beautiful grassy clearing, you’ll find the log cabin of Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte, and it has a particular kind of coziness and creativity. This is the home of two people who were deeply embedded in the artistic and social life of the mountains. Peter grew up in Banff; Catharine came from a prominent family in Massachusetts. They met at art school, and when they chose to build their life together, they chose the Bow Valley.

It feels less like a museum and more like they’ve just stepped out for a walk along the Bow. Paintings fill the walls, their own work alongside pieces from the many artists who passed through their lives. The Whytes were connectors, the kind of people whose home was always open, and you can feel that in the objects and images that fill every corner. Gifts from friends, mementos from travels, art made by people they admired; the cabin is as much a portrait of a community as it is of a couple.

Why Stepping Inside Matters

There’s something different about standing in the actual rooms where history happened. You can picture friends in the kitchen, mapping out their next trail. You can imagine Peter or Catharine at the window or outside, painting the peaks in the early light. These are real spaces that hold real stories, stories that we are happy to share with you. For instance, throughout her life, Catharine was a keen collector of miniatures or “little things,” as she called them. You’ll find them dispersed throughout the home.

They also give us room to have honest conversations about the past: about what was preserved and how, about the relationships that shaped this community, and about the ongoing work of telling a fuller, truer story of this land.

Visit Historic Homes in Banff This Summer

The Banff Historic Homes Tour is one of the highlights of summer at The Whyte, a chance to get close to the human side of history. Come hear the adventures of the Moores and step into the artistic world of the Whytes. Book a guided historic homes tour and see what everyday life in Banff truly felt like. We’ll see you at the cabin doors.

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The Whyte is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 111 Bear Street in Banff, with tours offered throughout the season. To view current tour times, admission details, and booking information, visit the Tours page.

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