Picture the three dirtiest fellas you’ve ever seen. The year is 1883 and they’re tramping through the woods on a day off from working on the railways, looking for mineral treasures. Instead, they stumble upon a misty cave oozing with boiled-egg stench. Smart enough to follow their noses through the mist, these three guys came upon the birthplace of Canada’s National Park system, and got themselves a much-needed bath in the process.
Although natives had long known about the sulphur springs – they led two American prospectors to the site in 1874 – the railway workers jumped on a promised fortune, charging admission for a bath and roping off the area. Others came along and filed ownership claims and counterclaims until the Federal Government stepped in and took over, creating the Banff Hot Springs Reserve in 1885 – Canada’s first national park. Two years later, the first formal bathhouses were constructed and doctors began prescribing the springs’ 'healing water' to cure all ailments. At one point, the handrails were replaced by cured 'patients'’ crutches. In 1914, a concrete building allowed the springs to be open year-round. The springs were the place to be for decades – both for health and social reasons. But by 1990, Parks Canada had permanently closed the Cave and Basin owing to crumbling facilities and the increasingly popular Banff Upper Hot Springs. An endangered snail species also makes its home in the Cave and Basin springs.
Today, the Cave and Basin is an interesting national historic site, preserved in its 20th-century glory. There is a fun video about the railworkers who discovered the springs, Edwardian bathing suits and a small theatre with an excellent film about the springs’ early days. This is a great place to head on a rainy day and anchors Banff’s history in an entertaining way. Also, many great walking trails start at the Cave and Basin.
