English, and english-accented French (fluent); audio tour guide (reel)
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (Canadian-General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Station. One can more Museum and Geoscience Center. Welcome to Cannes More. We would like to invite you to discover the history of the area and its lasting effects on our town. This tour will take you through downtown. Can more and to the Bow River. This mP three player contains a description of each of the numbered points on the map. Each time you hear, Press the pause button on your MP three player and walk towards the next station. You can then press the start button once you've reached your destination, the tour has been designed so that you never need to cross the street other than at a designated crosswalk. Although can more is very pedestrian friendly. We ask that you cross carefully. Also keep in mind that the mountain climate can be surprising. Snowstorms, muddy conditions and icy sidewalks are possible at any time of year, locals will tell you that they have sometimes seen winter conditions in the middle of summer. On the way, feel free to stop to visit the shops and cafes or to take in the amazing scenery. The booklet that was handed to you contains special offers from our local partners. Take as much time as you need and resume the tour. When you are ready, you are now facing the can more civic center which houses the Can War Museum and the Geoscience Center. If you stop for a visit of the museum, you will find much information in the town's history in the summer. This section of the street turns weekly into a farmer's market with lots of crafts and goodies. If you are here on market Day, be sure to have a look at the booths. Across the street is the tourist information center. It's friendly staff can help you plan your visit of the area. When you're ready. Start walking along the walk of champions and enter the trail at the end of creek side Hall parking lot towards station number two on the map on your way, have a look at the gorgeous friendship park right behind the civic center. The mountain that you can see at the end of the street is called Mount Lady Macdonald. It was named after Susan Agnes Macdonald, wife of Sir john A Macdonald, the very first Prime Minister of Canada Station two early Bow Valley man has been visiting the Bow Valley for over 10,000 years. People from the First Nations would come here for wood and food. They used the wood from the Douglas fir trees found around Bow Lake, upstream of the bow river. To make a guess what bows. Of course bison lived in the valley and provided an abundant source of meat. The natives would sometimes light controlled forest fires to create ideal conditions for bison population who love grass and young greens. Keep walking along the creek to the next point on the map Station three railroad and the big head, The history of the area took a sharp turn during the second half of the 19th century. In 1871, the government of Sir John A. MacDonald pledged to build a railway to connect the colony of British Columbia to Central Canada within 10 years, suddenly changing the future of the region. The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Kenmore in 1883. The first train to go through town on May 11, 1884 traveled at a whopping 13 mph or 21 km/h. A switching station was established in can more to maintain the equipment and change crews, which created the demand for a few shops. Those were the first buildings of the village, but it was the opening of the number one coal mine at the bottom of the mountains that you see south of this point that really gave life to the actual town. The first camera baby was born in 1888 and in 1889, the settlement counted 450 souls. The sculpture that you see on the other side of the street recalls the origin of the name Can more Malcolm of Cantor was king of Scotland in the 11th century and it was in his honor that Donald a smith, a Canadian pacific railway pioneer named the town in 18 84. King Malcolm was also immortalized in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, you may think the sculpture represents the king's face, but it doesn't. The word can More means big head in Gaelic. The artist therefore sculpted a big head. However, in the case of king Malcolm, it really referred to his intelligence. The Big Head has a special place amongst the villagers who sometimes dress it up for numerous festivals and events that take place in Can more, you can now make your way to the Northwest Mounted Police barracks just up the street Station four Northwest Mounted Police Barracks. The young ton of Can war was mainly industrial and inhabited by young mine and railway workers. So its streets often witnessed some unruliness. The men worked hard all day and in the evening, enjoyed a drink or two, sometimes misbehaving or even fighting. The Canadian anthracite coal company, responsible for the coal mines and can more was worried about public order and perhaps about maintaining the order with their own forces as well. So it requested a police force be established in town. The Northwest Mounted Police, predecessor to our Royal Canadian mounted police, better known as the mounties sent a few men to the Bow Valley in 1888. Their task was to maintain public order, but also to go through the trains looking for alcohol during the prohibition and to ensure the safety and security of local shop owners and residents. The barracks that stand in front of you were built in 1893 as a home to the policemen that were assigned to the area turned into a private residence in 1921 and bought by the town of Cannes War in 1989, the barracks have been restored to their 1921 state when they were still inhabited by a member of the Northwest Mounted Police. Inside a museum run by passionate volunteers will teach you about early life in Can more. There is also a tea room and a souvenir shop. Why not take advantage of the beautiful heritage gardens in the back of the barracks. When you're ready? Walk up main street to the ralph Connor Memorial Church Station five ralph Connor Memorial Church, the very first church to be built in Can More was completed in 18 91 and still occupies a special place in the hearts of the local people. The church was named after its founder, reverend Charles W. Gordon, who wrote several novels under the pen name ralph Connor. While living in Cannes more, His 35 books were greatly successful across Canada Connor loved the mountains and like to tell local stories about life in can more. The following excerpt is from his novel Black Rock. Published in 1898, Ralph Connor describes a winter morning in a small town inspired by can more. The air was shimmering in the frosty light, the mountains with their shining heads piercing through light clouds into that wonderful blue of the western sky and their feet pushed into the pine masses, gazed down upon black rock with com kindly looks on their old gray faces, how one grows to love them. Steady old friends. Far up among the pines, we could see the smoke of the engine at the works and so still and so clear was the mountain air that we could hear the puff of the steam and from far down the river the murmur of the rapids Station six, the bronze miner can more would not be what it is today, were it not for the workers who mined its underground for 93 years. The high quality of can more coal allowed the mining industry to prosper through economic downturns as well as the petroleum boom in Alberta. But none of it would have been possible without the hard work of the can more miners. In 1908, years after the number one mine first opened in can more 300 miners were producing over 110,000 tons of coal per year. The bronze miner that stands in front of you was created by bronze artist Lauren Wall as a tribute to the workers who shaped the history of the town. The can more miners came from all over the world hailing from other parts of Canada and far away locations such as eastern europe and china. The last mine in can more was closed on Friday, July in 1979. This day was named Black Friday by all the workers who suddenly faced an uncertain future. Even though the mines have long closed. The souls of these men still live in Can more through their legacy. The next station is the white and green building just next to here. Station seven can more hotel. This building is almost as old as the town itself. The Canberra Hotel was opened in 1890 by a French nobleman. It has always catered to the working class and still offers rooms at affordable rates. It is the oldest operating hotel in Alberta today. However, it is best known for its lounge and live music events. The history of the camera hotel is made up of the same fabric as the town itself as well as the rest of Canada. In 1916, alcohol consumption for non medical use became illegal in the area. Unable to serve drinks, the hotel faced closure until a doctor found a new purpose for the building. In 1918, He used the hotel as a temporary hospital to take care of patients suffering from the Spanish flu pandemic. In 1920 for the prohibition of alcohol was revoked and numerous miners celebrated the return of their freedom. Then in 1928, a new law made it illegal for women to join men in establishments where alcohol was served. The lounge of the camera hotel was then split in two and a separate entrance was added on the side of the building to allow women to enter the hotel without having to walk through the lounge. When in 1952, owner Alfonso Rhoda passed away and left the hotel to his wife Mary. The small, delicate lady became one of the first women to operate a bar in Canada. The government was not very enthusiastic about the arrangement, but mrs Rhoda was not one to let go of her ambitions and was able to obtain all the necessary permits. Mary Rata, like so many other pioneer women, was instrumental in seeing the law forbidding women to enter bars finally abolished in 1967. Nowadays, the camera hotel is a symbol of this town and its veranda is the ideal spot to sit and take in life on Main Street. The tour will now take you away from main street. Walk along 7th Avenue towards the next station Station eight Miners ***** Hall working in the mines was not an easy job. The men spent long hours working hard to reach their production quotas. At times they had to work ankle deep in water and the risks of a roof collapse or explosion were always present. The miners also regularly breathed in toxic gasses and fine coal particles. In 1901, 8 men were killed in an explosion. In total, 52 men died while working in the minds of can war over the course of 93 years, as tragic as those deaths were, 52 is a relatively low number given the hazardous working conditions the men faced. Although health and safety were on their minds when the first miners started holding secret meetings, their main concern was salary. These meetings led to the creation of a ***** in 1903. The building that is now in front of you was built by volunteers between 1910 and 1913 to provide a venue for ***** meetings together, the workers were better able to defend their own interests. Several strikes brought changes in the minors working conditions. For example, in 1917, a 10 day strike led to a 30% raise in salary, bringing the daily pay to $4.50. The ***** continued to play a key role until the closure of the last mine in 1979. In the seventies, the ***** was involved in a movement for the recognition of black lung, a chronic illness that often killed its victims and that is believed to have affected half of the condor miners who worked 20 years or more underground. The miners ***** hall is now used as a community hall where all sorts of events take place, Have a look on the side of the building. A banner will tell you if something is going on at the moment, maybe you will find an interesting event to attend with the locals. Station nine, Royal Canadian Legion. You are now looking at the home of the Royal Canadian legion Branch three, the two World Wars had tremendous impact on the history of this town as well as the rest of the country in the Bow Valley. The wars created such a dramatic increase in coal demand that mine workers were exempted from conscription Regardless, can more eight men, primarily those with personal ties to Great Britain, still took part in the first world war. Of those, 97 14 died on the battlefield During the Second World War 135 men and women left can more to fight alongside the Allied forces. nine of those never came back. A monument in the front of the building is dedicated to camera, men and women who died at war. Even those who stayed in camera participated significantly in the war effort during the Second World War. The cold demand was so high that the work week increased from 5 to 6 days and a second work shift was introduced in the mines, a government order made strikes illegal in the coal industry throughout the country for the duration of the war and prevented coal workers from terminating their employment for any reason in reaction. Over 10,000 mine workers stopped work in Western Canada. They were granted a $1 daily bonus and two weeks of paid vacation to entice them back. But the required effort did not change. Walk to the next station to learn about modern day Can more Station 10 Modern Day Can More. The town has changed incredibly since that black friday in 1979. When the last mine was closed, like many mining towns in the province can more could have so easily become a ghost town, fortunately the Calgary olympic games of 1988. Put this gorgeous region under the spotlight. The cross country ski and biathlon competitions were held at the Cannes, more nordic center. A few kilometers west of where you stand. This created an interest among tourists who were drawn to the amazing scenery and friendly people of the area. Nowadays visitors come to camera from all over the world, be it for a weekend or for life, world class golfing, cross country skiing and downhill skiing. A large variety of spas and wellness centers, dog sledding, fine dining and out of this world hiking are only a few of the reasons people come to cam or the highland Games and folk music festival also attract a lot of visitors. Numerous families have a secondary residence here where they come to enjoy the downtown boutiques and the great outdoors. Look around you and you will get a hint of the great diversity that this little town has to offer from pedestrian trails to wide open parks, from small single family cabins to ultramodern condos can more has it all. The town also caters to all budgets in the upscale neighborhoods. A large house can cost several million dollars be warned whoever stops in can more always ends up falling under its charm and wants to stay longer walk to the center of the pedestrian bridge on the Bow River for an astonishing view of the local scenery Station 11 Bow River and can more surrounding peaks you are now standing over the bow river. The water that flows underneath the bridge comes from the snowy summits and glaciers. Over the rocky mountains. From here you can see several of the mountains that form can more scenery look to your right and follow the course of the river. The mountain that you see in the distance is cascade mountain immediately left of it is Rundle, a 12 kilometer long range that stretches from Can more to Banff. When viewed from the town of Banff, it looks much smaller than it actually is left of Randall is a wide valley called White Man's Gap, it separates Randall from Mount Lawrence Grassy. This mountain was named after an italian born. Can write minor and alpinist. The western peak of Lawrence grassy at its right end is named ha ling peak After a railway worker, Holling was the first to reach the summit in 18 96 after taking on a bet from his co workers. The summit was formerly called china men peak. Many Chinese men worked on the railway and in the minds of the area, although the quality of their work and their dedication was well known, the Chinese workers have not always received all the respect that they deserved. In days past the Chinese workers will be assigned to the most dangerous and strenuous tasks in the camera mines in an attempt to recognize the important contribution of the Chinese workers in the history of the region China and peak was renamed Ha Ling Peak in 1997. Finally, on your left, you can see the three sisters and easily recognizable three peak mountain. The photogenic three Sisters is a well known symbol of this town. Have a look across the river on the bank right of the bridge. The wooden house that stands there was built in 1910 for the mine directors. Today it is a private residence from here. You may wish to follow the trail along the bow river to take in the beautiful scenery. The trail is well maintained but is not paved and can be covered in snow or ice at times if you prefer, walk back the way you came in to Main Street Station 12. End of Tour, we are at the end of the tour. We hope you've enjoyed discovering the downtown area of Cannes more. The people of this town are proud of its amazing beauty and the treasures of its history. We hope that learning about it has also made you fall in love with can more. You can now walk on Main Street and back to your street Sherpa selling point on your way stop at our partners businesses and take advantage of all the deals available in the booklet. We hope that your stay in our town will be one to remember