Tunnel Mountain
Encyclopedia
Tunnel Mountain is a mountain
located in the Bow River
Valley of Banff National Park
in Alberta, Canada. The mountain is nearly completely encircled by the town of Banff
and the Banff Springs Hotel
grounds.
The Stoney people
had long called the mountain "Sleeping Buffalo", as it resembles a sleeping buffalo
when viewed from the north and east. In 1858, James Hector
named the small peak "The Hill", likely in reference to its status as the smallest peak adjacent to the Banff townsite.
In 1882, a team of surveyors led by Major A.B. Rogers, of Rogers Pass
fame, was surveying for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway
. Rogers, likely in a hurry, assumed the easiest path for the railway to take would be to simply follow the Bow River
. On account of the difficulties that would be faced with river crossings and the steepness of the cliffs between the northwestern edge of Mount Rundle
and Tunnel Mountain, Rogers' team suggested the construction of a 275 m (902 ft) tunnel through the tiny mountain. CPR General Manager William Cornelius Van Horne
was furious at the suggestion, exclaiming "Are we going to hold up this railway for a year and a half while they build their damned tunnel? Take it out!" An alternative route north of the mountain was found, which incidentally shortened the railway by a mile, and avoided two long hills, saving the CPR millions of dollars. Surveyor Charles Shaw described the idea as "the most extraordinary blunder I have ever known in the way of engineering." The idea of a tunnel was scrapped altogether, but the mountain is still called Tunnel Mountain to this day.
King George VI
and Queen Elizabeth
hiked to the top of the mountain during their 1939 Royal Tour. The fire lookout
on top of the mountain began to be known as "King's Lookout," though it is not extant.
The mountain has also drawn praise from many famous mountaineers. James Outram
, the first person to climb Mount Assiniboine
climbed Tunnel in 1900, commenting "the view will never be forgotten." Arthur O. Wheeler
, co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada
also praised the view:
Perhaps the most devout admirer of the mountain was Anne Ness, a local resident. Anne climbed Tunnel Mountain over 8000 times over a 40-year period, averaging 200 ascents a year. Ness was even known to climb the mountain twice a day; once during lulls in her job, and a second in the evening. Famed wildlife artist Carl Rungius
had his ashes scattered on the mountain, loving the view of Banff and the Bow Valley.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
located in the Bow River
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
Valley of Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
in Alberta, Canada. The mountain is nearly completely encircled by the town of Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
and the Banff Springs Hotel
Banff Springs Hotel
The Fairmont Banff Springs or simply the Banff Springs Hotel is a former railway hotel constructed in Scottish Baronial style located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The original hotel, designed by American architect Bruce Price, was built between spring of 1887 and 1888 by the Canadian...
grounds.
History
Nakoda (people)
The Nakoda are a First Nation group, indigenous to both Canada and, originally, the United States....
had long called the mountain "Sleeping Buffalo", as it resembles a sleeping buffalo
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
when viewed from the north and east. In 1858, James Hector
James Hector
Sir James Hector was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist...
named the small peak "The Hill", likely in reference to its status as the smallest peak adjacent to the Banff townsite.
Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass is a high mountain pass through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway. The pass is a shortcut across the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River from Revelstoke on the west to Donald, near Golden, on the east...
fame, was surveying for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. Rogers, likely in a hurry, assumed the easiest path for the railway to take would be to simply follow the Bow River
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
. On account of the difficulties that would be faced with river crossings and the steepness of the cliffs between the northwestern edge of Mount Rundle
Mount Rundle
Mount Rundle is a mountain in Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta. The mountain was named by John Palliser in 1858 after Reverend Robert Rundle, who had visited the Banff area during the 1840s....
and Tunnel Mountain, Rogers' team suggested the construction of a 275 m (902 ft) tunnel through the tiny mountain. CPR General Manager William Cornelius Van Horne
William Cornelius Van Horne
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, KCMG was a pioneering Canadian railway executive.-Life and career:Born in 1843 in rural Illinois, he moved with his family to Joliet, Illinois when he was eight years old...
was furious at the suggestion, exclaiming "Are we going to hold up this railway for a year and a half while they build their damned tunnel? Take it out!" An alternative route north of the mountain was found, which incidentally shortened the railway by a mile, and avoided two long hills, saving the CPR millions of dollars. Surveyor Charles Shaw described the idea as "the most extraordinary blunder I have ever known in the way of engineering." The idea of a tunnel was scrapped altogether, but the mountain is still called Tunnel Mountain to this day.
King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
hiked to the top of the mountain during their 1939 Royal Tour. The fire lookout
Fire lookout
A fire lookout is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a good view of the surrounding terrain, to spot smoke caused by a wildfire.Once a possible fire...
on top of the mountain began to be known as "King's Lookout," though it is not extant.
Hiking
Tunnel Mountain, likely due to its easy grade and location in the heart of Banff, is a very popular hike. The trail has a gentle grade for most of the way, with a few mildly steep sections, and is only 4.3 km (3 mi) round-trip. The top offers a panoramic view of the townsite, the Bow valley and the surrounding wilderness, and many recommend it as an easy introductory hike to the area.The mountain has also drawn praise from many famous mountaineers. James Outram
James Outram (mountaineer)
Sir James Outram was a British clergyman, who made many first ascents in the Canadian Rockies in the early 1900s....
, the first person to climb Mount Assiniboine
Mount Assiniboine
Mount Assiniboine, also known as Assiniboine Mountain, is a mountain located on the Great Divide, on the British Columbia/Alberta border in Canada....
climbed Tunnel in 1900, commenting "the view will never be forgotten." Arthur O. Wheeler
Arthur Oliver Wheeler
Arthur Oliver Wheeler was born in Ireland and immigrated to Canada in 1876 at the age of 16. He became a land surveyor and surveyed large areas of western Canada, including photo-topographical surveys of the Selkirk Mountains and the British Columbia-Alberta boundary along the continental divide...
, co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...
also praised the view:
Perhaps the most devout admirer of the mountain was Anne Ness, a local resident. Anne climbed Tunnel Mountain over 8000 times over a 40-year period, averaging 200 ascents a year. Ness was even known to climb the mountain twice a day; once during lulls in her job, and a second in the evening. Famed wildlife artist Carl Rungius
Carl Rungius
Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius was a leading American wildlife artist. He was born in Germany though he immigrated to the United States and he spent his career painting in the western United States and Canada...
had his ashes scattered on the mountain, loving the view of Banff and the Bow Valley.