Calgary History

Fort Calgary

Calgary’s natural setting, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, was a region of natural appeal to the traders, farmers, ranchers and visionaries who settled this country.

By the mid-19th century, the Dominion of Canada was taking shape, and started looking to solidify the new nation’s claim to the rich foothills plains.

In 1875, the central government in Ottawa sent a 50-member detachment of the Northwest Mounted Police - the forerunner of Canada’s famous red-coated Mounties - to bring the rule of law to the wide-open territory.

The police built a fort in present-day Calgary, at the junction of the Bow and Elbow rivers. Police Commissioner James Macleod, the troupe’s ranking officer, named it Fort Calgary, after his family’s ancestral home in Scotland.

The Railway Brings Prosperity

Less than a decade later, in 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) arrived on its way to the Pacific Ocean. These nation-building steel rails linked Canada from ocean to ocean and assured Calgary’s future: in 1884 it was incorporated as a town.

At that time, Calgary made for an impressive western centre, with 30 major buildings, a newspaper and more than 1,000 residents. Within a decade, the population topped 6,000, enough to qualify for full city status.

The early 1900s were boom years for the city. Much of the character, values and spirit of today’s Calgary were established during this time.

For example, the first ‘wild west’ Calgary Stampede was staged in 1912. It’s grown into an annual celebration that today is known around the world.

The Little City that Oil Built

Two years later, in 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War, huge reserves of oil were discovered just outside of town.

The world needed oil then, and Calgary had plenty. The little-city-that-oil-built became the place everyone wanted to come to.

There have been a few economic bumps along the way, but for the most part, Calgary has flourished and thrived since then.

The city is the centre of Canada’s energy industry, and other sectors are gaining strength and international recognition as well.