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By Kayla Cazes, Librarian/Reference Archivist
Lake Minnewanka is perhaps one of the most widely known lakes near Banff, but did you know it was also the site of Banff National Park's very first hotel? Librarian and Reference Archivist Kayla Cazes digs into the rich history of this popular landmark, including the eventual demise of the hotel and town of Minnewanka Landing, owing to the development of a storage dam at Lake Minnewanka in 1912.
Arriving in Banff in 1886, Willoughby John Astley, along with W.H. Desbrowne, decided to build the first ever hotel on Lake Minnewanka. A fully log structure was completed in 1886/87 and aptly named, the Beach House Hotel.
In June of 1889, Willoughby's brother, Charles D'oyley Astley, his wife, Lucy Ann Andrew, and their infant daughter, Violet Louisa, would join him at the hotel. In 1890 Willoughby was contracted by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to build a small, two bedroom chalet at Laggan, now known as Lake Louise (pictured below). After the construction, Willoughby was hired to run the chalet at Laggan. After the departure of his brother, Charles D’oyley Astley and his wife took up management of the hotel.
In 1896, Willoughby Astley would be a part of the team that recovered Philip Stanley Abbot's body. Abbot was the first mountaineering fatality in the Canadian Rockies.
The Beach House Hotel soon became an attraction for a wide variety of visitors. People from all over the world came to stay. From England to Australia, to Scotland and India, it became a unique getaway for those visiting the area. These individuals also held positions of esteem within their communities including doctors, lords, captains, and politicians. Many of these people would have taken a tally-ho, a small horse-drawn carriage, to reach the shores of the lake.
The lake was a source of food, leisure, and recreation. Soon, the hotel became well-known for the food that it served. There was plenty of fish to be caught in the lake. These catches were recorded in the registry of the hotel. Ever so often a fish weighing over 25 pounds was recorded in the register. This abundance allowed the hotel to serve many different dishes. Lucy became proficient in puddings, candied fruits, cakes, jellied fish, clam pie—anything her guests would desire.
Soon, others like local, Norman Luxton, would build hotels on the lake. Pictured above is Luxton's hotel on the left and the Beach House Hotel on the right.
Even though more competition came, the hotel continued to be a gathering place for those that wanted to experience the beauty of the lake and surrounding area.
With popularity, came development of the area. More buildings were built and a wharf was constructed. This wharf (pictured above) allowed visitors to gain greater access to the lake and was right outside the door of the Beach House Hotel.
In 1895, the government constructed a small log dam on Devil's Creek. The purpose of this dam was to improve the shoreline of the lake for visitor usage. In 1910, the power station at Horseshoe Falls on the Bow River was completed by the Calgary Power Company. It was determined quickly that this power station would not provide the amount of power needed. In result, the Seebe Dam at Kananaskis Falls was constructed.
In 1903, the hotel changed hands from the Astley's to Reverend Basil Guy Way. Reverend Guy Way ran the hotel until 1912, when the development of a storage dam at Lake Minnewanka forced him to burn the hotel to the ground. The water rose over 12 feet and flooded nearly 1000 acres of land. Many of the chalets and cottages that were located on the shores of the lake had been moved to the newly established summer village of Minnewanka Landing.
In 1940, the Calgary Power Company submitted an application to dam Lake Minnewanka. In that same year the Canadian government under the War Measures Act suspended the 1930 National Parks Act. The National Parks Act stated blatantly that there was to be no industrial development in national parks. Its suspension allowed the final dam to built on the lake. This dam drastically altered the lake and surrounding area by raising water levels over 25 meters (85 feet). Unfortunately, Minnewanka Landing was flooded and lost.
Today, many experienced divers swim down into the original site and see the ruins of the past.
Interested in learning more about Canadian Rockies history? Book a research appointment at the Whyte Museum Archives and Special Collections Library.