Road, Rail and Runway: Calgary’s Forgotten Transportation History

Moving your way across Calgary can be fun or frustrating depending on your means of transportation. This has been true since the early days of settlement, when travel was primarily by foot or by horse. The wheels of invention and innovation moved Calgarians quickly into the 20^th century, most often along the same trails used by Indigenous people long before European settlement. People opted for bicycles, carts, and carriages, while mass transportation appeared with the arrival of trains and streetcars.

Calgary is a city defined in part by its unpredictable rivers and creeks. The Bow and Elbow rivers are not so much transportation corridors as transportation barriers. Early entrepreneurs determined the most efficient and effective locations for their ferry crossing businesses, which later became the preferred locations for public bridge construction. 

A few daring Calgarians were quick to take to the air in the early part of the 20^th century. Those that served in World War I and survived returned with big dreams of air travel connecting Calgary to the world. Our old and new airports are a testament to the practical dreamers who saw the potential for commercial air travel beyond amusing audiences at air shows and fairs.

With so many different means of moving, conflicts seem inevitable. Modes of transportation go in and out of fashion, so much so that it may seem we are going around in a circle when it comes to roadways, train lines, and bike paths. However, you get around Calgary, or travel to and from the city, enjoy the ride.