The "Banff-Windermere Highway", the first motor road across the Rockies, was officially opened on June 30, 1923.
The highway was the last link in the "Great Circle Tour", a road some 5000 miles long, embracing 16 National Parks in the U.S. and Canada. To mark the historic opening, a slogan cancellation was used at the Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg post offices.
GOVERNMENT MOTOR
HIGHWAY
BANFF-WINDERMERE
OPEN JUNE 30TH 1923
The Vancouver slogan cancellation was applied on June 1, 1923, to the above cover addressed to Narrabeen, Australia.
James Harkin : The Man Behind the Road
James Harkin (1875 - 1955) was appointed the first commissioner of the Dominion Parks Branch (now Parks Canada) in 1911, and over a period of 25 years organized a nation-wide system of parks. Harkin promoted the construction of the Banff-Windermere Highway so that people could enjoy some of Canada’s loveliest scenery while contributing dollars to the economy.
Official opening of the Banff-Windernere Highway
Kootenay Park and the Banff-Windermere Highway
Kootenay National Park was established in 1920 as part of an agreement between the provincial and federal governments to build the Banff-Windermere Highway. A strip of land five miles (eight kilometres) wide on each side of the highway was set aside as a national park.
Sinclair Canyon : Western Entrance to Kootenay National Park
The above photographs were taken at approximately the same location north of Radium Hot Springs.
Vista Lake
