This is the time of year when folks are thinking of travelling and in this part of the country it is usually to the mountains. Going to Banff was an activity which residents of the Chestermere area in the early 20’s and 30’s enjoyed. It likely took a day to get there and they would probably stay in a cabin located on Tunnel Mountain. The Park which was originally called “Rocky Mountain Park” was formed in 1885 shortly after the railway went through, followed by Yoho National Park in 1886, Jasper National Park in 1907, and Kootenay National Park in 1920.
Early visitors arrived on foot, by horse and by train. Automobiles started to make an appearance and by 1911 the National Parks were regulating the automobile by charging $0.25 to be paid to the Superintendent of the Park or the Northwest Mounted Police. This included a camping permit. By 1919 a fee of $1.00 for a visit of a week with a maximum of $4.00 was required. From 1911 to 1925 stickers were placed on windshields but in 1925 the National Parks were offering something new.
Here is the quote from the newspaper in Banff Crag and Canyon – June 5 1925.
“To replace the old descriptive stickers on automobile windshields the Rocky Mountain Park department has issued a beautifully designed aluminum badge which can be wired to the radiator of cars in a couple of minutes. The badge will be presented to all tourists entering the park by auto and who pay the usual $1.00 license fee, is very neat and attractive, and depicts a buffalo, reproduced from an actual photograph. Beneath the buffalo the words “Canadian National Park” are neatly moulded. Two small holes are drilled at the base of the badge to permit the attaching of a small plate bearing the dates of future years.
The size of the badge is three inches high and four inches wide and is a considerable improvement over the old windshield sticker. It is guaranteed absolutely rust proof.
J.M. Wardle, chief engineer of the Parks Department who brought one of the Badges to the Crag and Canyon for inspection a few days ago, claims that they will be attached to over 20,000 automobiles from all parts of the world this season.”
These badges were attached to all automobiles entering the parks from 1925 to 1940. They alternated material from brass in 1925 to copper in 1926 to aluminum in 1927 and continued the sequence of metals and some changes in design also occurred over the years.
The first photo shows the badge from the last year that it was available that was issued to the Mackenzie family when they visited the park that year.
The second photo, taken by John Mackenzie, one of the early settlers in Chestermere, shows Kate Mackenzie, her daughter Jane and grand daughters Vida, Rowena and Priscilla with their 1939 Plymouth camping at Banff.
