On the downtown side of the Bow River Bridge, one finds a magnificent wooden building. The 1903 structure that houses the Banff Park Museum – advertised in a 1939 leaflet as the “Government Museum” – is the oldest still-functioning building owned by Parks Canada in its original capacity, and not only has the function of the building remained, but also the way it was functioning. The interior represents a museum from the era around 1914: stuffed animals in glass cases neatly presented in an environment of dark wood.

‘So it’s a museum within a museum,’ the girl at the desk said. Continue reading “In Banff: At the Banff Park Museum – The Legacy of Norman Sanson” →