Nose Hills Park is a prominent green space overlooking Calgary from the city’s northwest. The area has been used for centuries by early First Nation people and is now cherished by many Calgarians as an escape from the bustling urban environment that surrounds it. If you’re curious about the park’s history please read my previous post, Rediscover Nose Hill, and then scroll through the following historic photos from one of Canada’s largest urban parks.
View looking north from Bow Bend Shack, Calgary, Alberta, 1895-1900. From residence of William Pearce. Building, far left, Hy Bleeker’s barn. Pearce’s experimental irrigated gardens in foreground. Asparagus planted in front of row of Manitoba maples. Calgary-Edmonton railway tracks, centre. Nose Hill in far background. Hill on which General Hospital now (1973) stands, rear. A flood of Elbow River, c. 1901, took out high ground, right middle foreground.Horse and carriage outing on Nose Hill, Calgary, Alberta, 1896. John Mitchell, Walter Grant MacKay and dog “Spot”.Aerial view of northwest Calgary, Alberta, 1956. Looking northwest from Parkdale towards Nose Hill. McMahon Stadium, University Drive and Trans Canada Highway are drawn in.Nose Hill Spring, Calgary, Alberta, 1969.Plaque and cairn at Nose Hill spring, Calgary, Alberta, 1969. The plaque and cairn were placed at the spring to honor the area’s pioneers.View of Nose Hill, Calgary, Alberta, 1973. City’s boundaries had crept up to the slopes of Nose Hill and communities wanted to save the rest for a 2600 acre park.Alberta Album feature on Nose Hill, Calgary, Alberta, 1973. View from Nose Hill with Janice Smith riding her horse Tonto in left foreground.Sarcee Trail extension with view towards Bowness district, Calgary, Alberta, 1973. Residents of the district of Bowness were alarmed with plans for the extension of Sarcee Trail, to intersect Crowchild Trail. Some argued that it was necessary because of increases in traffic flow, partly due to decisions to make Nose Hill a park, and to development north west along Crowchild.Members of Nose Hill Steering Committee on Nose Hill, Calgary, Alberta, 1980. L-R: John Pierce; Norma Bicknell holding copy of Nose Hill Park Master Plan; Ralph Brinsmead; Shawn Corbett.Mayor Ralph Klein flying a kite at Nose Hill Park, Calgary, Alberta, 1987.
The photos above were collected from the Glenbow Archives. Additional information can be found for each photograph on the Glenbow website by searching the identification number that is printed on each photo. There is also the option to purchase a high resolution copy. Stay tuned for additional posts featuring historical photos from Alberta. We’d love to know what you think in the comment section below.
Tyler is originally from Saskatchewan, and yes he cheers for the Roughriders, but don’t hold that against him as Calgary has been his home for the past eight years. He is a teacher working at a wilderness-
based treatment program for youth working to overcome addiction. Tyler is also a volunteer with the GOT Parks initiative, which aims at reconnecting Canada’s youth with our national, provincial, and territorial parks. During his time away from work, Tyler enjoys outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, and snowboarding, team sports, travelling, photography, spending time with good friends, and being at home with his wife and German Shepherd, Rome.
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