Communities of the Bow Valley

The human history of the Bow Valley dates back more than 11,000 years, following the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age.  Nomadic hunters were the first to use the valley, and were the only inhabitants until the 19th Century.  In 1841, the first Europeans passed through the valley with settlers bound for the new Oregon Territory.  At this time the Stoney, Kootenay, and Blackfoot tribes were all using the valley.  The new Canadian Pacific Railway reached Banff in 1883 ushering in a new era of settlement and mining.  Today the Bow Valley is home to the Towns of Banff and Canmore, the Hamlet of Lake Louise, and the communities of the M.D of Bighorn (including Harvie Heights, Lac des Arcs, Deadmans Flats, and Exshaw).  

Map of Alberta from the National Atlas of Canada 

Community Indicators

Learn more about the Bow Valley through the Community Indicators reports compiled by the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley.