Calgary
Calgary
History
From an oil town to a modern metropolis, Calgary has changed a lot over the years.
Origins
Calgary is one of Canada’s recognizable cities, its skyline rising proudly with the Rocky Mountains standing tall behind it. This is a southern Alberta town known for its history of cattle ranching, cowboy stampedes and oil exploration. The city sits on the Bow River in southern Alberta, about 220 km north of the U.S. border, where prairie grasslands meet the foothills.
The Bow and Elbow rivers have carved out Calgary’s geography and its history. For thousands of years, these valleys, coulees and open plains supported wildlife, travel and human settlement. Long before glass towers and rodeo arenas, this land carried livestock, trade and stories.
A Postcard of a black and white photograph of a section of the Bow River. A bridge can be seen crossing the river in the distance with some buildings on the banks.
Pre-1700s
Land, rivers and identity.
The meeting place of the Bow and Elbow rivers was part of an Indigenous homeland with more than 10,000 years of human history.
Seasonal movement followed bison herds and knowledge of the land guided hunting, trade and community life. This area was a gathering place and a key bison hunting corridor for several indigenous communities.
Nations including the Blackfoot Confederacy – Siksika, Kainai and Piikani – along with the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda, held deep relationships with the land, rivers and herds.
Horses, buffalo, trade and shared knowledge shaped life across the Plains. Camps rose and fell with the seasons and the river confluence served as a place to meet.
A deep shot of Calgary in the background with flat plains and bushland in the foreground.
1700–1874
Fur trade, exploration and shifting plains economies.
By the late 1700s, settlers and fur traders began moving through what is now southern Alberta. David Thompson spent the winter near today’s Calgary in 1787 and Peter Fidler travelled through the area in 1792 while working for the North West Company. Their travels tied the Bow River country into trade networks stretching across the continent.
But by the mid-1800s, life on the Plains was shifting fast. American bison hunters and illegal whisky traders built fortified posts nearby, including around today’s Glenmore area. The rapid loss of bison deeply affected Indigenous food systems, travel and power and the Canadian government began stepping in.
A black and white photograph of the Lethbridge Viaduct (commonly known as the High Level Bridge) over the Oldman River. It was completed in June 1909.
1875–1899
Fort Calgary, Treaty 7 and the railway town.
Calgary’s history as a city began with the North West Mounted Police. With the North-West Mounted Police setting up their second post at the Bow and Elbow rivers in 1875.
Built to curb the whisky trade and enforce federal law, Fort Calgary became the seed of a town. The presence of bison brought many people to the area, but also led to illegal activities such as whisky trading. These problems led the federal government to create the North-West Mounted Police in 1873. Their second post was set up at the river confluence in 1875 and named Fort Calgary in 1876.
In 1877, Treaty 7 was signed at Blackfoot Crossing by the Crown and the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda Nations. The signing of Treaty 7 brought significant change, introducing reserve systems, federal policies and pressures that reshaped mobility and economies. The Canadian government saw the treaty as a land cession, while many Indigenous leaders saw it as a promise to share land and maintain peace. The difference in understanding remains a topic of conversation to this day.
Throughout the twentieth century, many Indigenous families moved between reserves and Calgary for work, education and community and today, Indigenous culture, governance and partnerships are visible across the city. Land acknowledgements, cultural programming and urban Indigenous organizations reflect an ongoing relationship rather than a closed chapter of history, making Treaty 7 an active context Calgarians encounter in everyday life.
In 1883, the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway transformed Calgary into a hub for ranching, trade and transportation. Land was divided, settlers arrived and the town was incorporated in 1884 with George Murdoch as its first mayor.
In the late nineteenth century, Calgary was a rough but energetic settlement. Wooden sidewalks lined muddy streets, ranch supply stores stocked equipment for nearby cattle operations and newspapers chronicled everything from livestock prices to local politics.
Postcard marked 1903 showing cattle drinking along the Bow River with a handwritten message.
Hotels, saloons and boarding houses served travellers moving along railway lines, while blacksmith shops and general stores anchored daily life. The town’s pace was shaped by seasons, shipments and cattle drives, giving Calgary the rhythms of both prairie agriculture and frontier commerce.
The Great Calgary Fire of 1886 destroyed much of the wooden downtown. Although the damage was devastating to most of the community, folks rebuilt with sturdy sandstone, giving Calgary its signature historic look.
Calgary became a city in 1894 and grew into a major cattle shipping center, with stockyards, slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants that shaped its economy. With its farming community and established railway connections, Calgary quickly became the main shipping hub for the cattle industry, featuring stockyards (some owned by the CPR), slaughterhouses, tanneries and meat-processing plants.
A sepia photograph of winner the Ladies’ Race, Bertha Blancett, on her horse at the Calgary Stampede.
1900–1945
Ranching city, early oil and western identity.
In the early twentieth century, Calgary wore its ranching identity. Railways and irrigation helped farms spread across the prairies and the city grew alongside them.
Then, in 1912, came something that still sets hearts racing — the first Calgary Stampede. Cowboys rode in from across the West, crowds topped 100,000 and the city found a celebration that felt like home. After returning in 1923, the Stampede became an annual tradition.
Today, the Calgary Stampede is a ten-day festival each July, known as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." It draws over a million visitors, bringing rodeos, parades, chuckwagon races, agricultural contests, concerts and First Nations exhibitions together in one grand western gathering.
The Calgary Stampede Parade featuring Harry, the Stampede mascot.
1947–1989
Oil town, boom and bust.
From the early to mid-1900s, the land around Calgary was used for farming and cattle ranching, supported by railways and irrigation. Calgary’s ranching past never faded, but oil reshaped its future. Oil was first discovered in Turner Valley in 1914. The Town of Turner Valley is located only 40 km south of Calgary, foreshadowing the city’s success in the oil and gas industry.
A decommissioned pump-jack is installed over top of the Leduc No. 1 Provincial Historic Resource.
Early discoveries in Turner Valley hinted at what was to come, but the Leduc No. 1 well in 1947 truly launched the oil industry in Calgary. The discovery of the Leduc No. 1 oil well brought the oil boom. In return, the oil boom brought investment, jobs and people, making Calgary the hub of Canada’s oil and gas industry. As oil and gas work grew, Calgary grew as a business and service center, with more people moving in and the city spreading out from the river valleys onto the prairies.
Corporate headquarters are clustered in Calgary, shaping the skyline, job market and municipal growth. Periods of high energy prices in the 1970s and early 2000s drove rapid population increases, construction booms and rising wages that attracted workers from across Canada.
The city’s history is equally defined by downturns, particularly the 1980s oil crash. These cycles influence housing markets, employment stability and municipal planning, creating a culture that values adaptability and diversification. Office towers rose where open prairie once stretched and the city stepped onto the global stage.
The Calgary Flames hockey team started playing in 1980 after moving from Atlanta, boosting the city’s sports scene. The Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989. While in 1988, Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics, which led to new infrastructure and put the city on the world stage. Facilities like the Olympic Oval and Canada Olympic Park still serve athletes and visitors today.
Poster showing the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988.
1990–Now
Diversification, expansion and reconciliation.
Since the 1990s, Calgary has worked to diversify its economy beyond oil and gas. Technology companies, renewable energy initiatives, logistics and film production have gained attention, supported by investment and policy efforts aimed at reducing dependence on resource cycles.
Universities and research institutions are playing a growing role in innovation, while entrepreneurs are shaping a shifting business landscape. Diversification has been gradual rather than sudden, reflecting the city’s effort to adapt while maintaining its historical strengths.
An aerial view of Calgary during winter.
The early 2000s brought one of Calgary’s strongest economic booms. Rising oil prices generated high wages, labour shortages and rapid construction. New residential towers reshaped the inner city, while suburban growth continued at the edges. The city’s population surged past one million in 2009, marking its transition into a major North American metropolitan area.
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