Banff Park Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banff Park Museum |
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Banff Park Museum exterior
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| Location | Banff, Alberta, Canada |
| Established | 1895 |
| Founded | Natural History Branch, Geological Survey of Canada |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | John Stocks |
| Architectural style(s) | Rustic |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Designated | 1985 |
The Banff Park Museum is a super cool place to visit in downtown Banff, Alberta. It's like a special exhibition hall connected to Banff National Park.
This museum is the oldest building that Parks Canada still takes care of. It became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1985. The next year, it was officially called a historic building. The museum building is a great example of the "rustic style" of architecture. This style uses natural materials and looks like it fits right into nature. It became very popular in parks across North America.
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History of the Banff Park Museum
The Banff Park Museum first opened in 1895. Its main purpose was to show off amazing collections of animals, plants, and minerals. All these items were found in or around Banff National Park. The building you see today was finished in 1903. It was designed by an engineer named John Stocks.
How the Museum Collection Grew
In 1896, a person named Norman Bethune Sanson became the museum's curator. A curator is someone who manages and takes care of a museum's collection. Sanson worked there until 1932. He did an amazing job of making the collection much bigger.
When he started, the museum had only a few items. These included eight mammals, 259 birds, one turtle, and some rocks and plants. By the time he left, the museum had grown to an incredible 5,000 items! The museum building itself looks a bit like a "railway pagoda." It has cool exposed log beams and rustic details.
The Banff Zoo: A Look Back
From 1905 to 1937, there was a small zoo right behind the museum. This zoo had a collection of different animals. Some of these animals were not even native to Canada. At its busiest time in 1914, the zoo had 36 birds in an aviary (a large cage for birds) and 50 mammals.
The zoo started to get smaller in the 1930s. It finally closed its doors in 1937. The zoo buildings were taken down in 1939. When the zoo closed, 46 animals were given to the Calgary Zoo. These animals included wolves, lynx, and different kinds of bears. There were black bears, cinnamon bears, and even polar bears.
Restoring the Museum Building
The museum building got a full makeover in 2010. A local company from Calgary, Alberta, did the restoration work. The outside of the building used to be covered in heavy oil products. These were removed and replaced with an eco-friendly clear coating. This new coating helps protect the wood and makes it look even better.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Banff Park para niños
