Calgary’s history
From proud beginnings as a remote North-West Mounted Police fort to a city of more than 1,000,000 people, Calgary continues to grow and prosper.
In 1875, Inspector Ephrem Brisebois of the North-West Mounted Police established a fort where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. Naturally, he named it Fort Brisebois. Less than a year later, Colonel James F. Macleod offered the name Calgary – after Calgary Bay, a remote cove on Scotland’s Isle of Mull. In 1884, the newly named Calgary became a town and only ten years later was granted the title of the first city in the Northwest Territories.
Calgary was predominantly a cattle ranching and agricultural city. The first signs of change appeared in 1905 when natural gas was discovered. In the same year, Alberta became an officially recognized province and the boom began with population increasing almost 400% in the five years from 1906 to 1911.
In 1911, Calgary City Hall opened its doors to a burgeoning city. Our claim to fame – the world-renowned Calgary Stampede – was held a year later and became so popular it was made an annual attraction by 1923. Since then we’ve won six Grey Cups with our CFL Calgary Stampeders, opened two world-class universities, welcomed a Stanley Cup winning NHL hockey team (go Flames go!) and hosted the 1988 Olympic Winter Games to great acclaim.
Though still the headquarters of Canada’s oil and gas industry, Calgary has diversified its business and maintained an economy that continues to grow and move forward.