Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Where did it go?

This is a real photo post card of something that no longer exists.
This website provides the most information I have found about what is on this post card: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=70443 The marker says, "Erected in honor of Sir James Hector K. C. M. C. Geologist and explorer to the Palliser Expedition of 1857 - 1860 by his friends in Canada, the United States & England. One of the earliest scientists to explore the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He discovered the Kicking Horse Pass through which the Canadian Pacific Railway now runs from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean." The marker is no longer there, but it was located near 51° 25.441′ N, 116° 10.748′ W. The Canadian Pacific Railway’s completion in 1885, along with the creation and promotion of Canada’s first national park, brought thousands of visitors to the Rockies and made it possible for mountaineers and explorers to venture out into the Great Divide area. Tales of their adventures spread far and wide, attracting attention to the area. By the end of the 19th century, the Canadian Pacific Railway responded to the growing interest in mountaineering in the Rockies by giving seasonal contracts to Swiss guides. They led mountaineers and tourists in explorations of the area. Meanwhile, to the north, tourism in the region was also gathering momentum with the establishment of Jasper National Park in 1907 and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway reaching Jasper in 1911. The post card was published by Gowan Sutton, Ltd in Vancouver, BC Canada. They were publisher of real photo and printed postcards of the Canadian West. Not only did they produce cards depicting large cities, they captured many hard to reach views within the Canadian Territories. Many of their cards were hand tinted in a simple manner striving for style rather than realism, which created cards in vastly differing quality. While the real photo cards were made in Canada their printed cards were made in England. They existed from 1921 to 1960. The marker was erected in 1926, so this makes sense to me.

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If you know anything about the history of the cards, the trains or the locations, please add them.