I know you are joking, but the timeline for Calgary is way different than that of Settlers down south.
The area was first settled by Europeans when missionaries set up shop in the area to spread Christianity. Some time later the site was used by RCMP to set up an outpost to protect the fur trade, establish federal presence to contest American influence in the area, and to keep check on Treaty lands.
Migration to the area by European settlers was accelerated by the Dominion Act that opened up the lands to leasing for Cattle farming.
At no point was Calgary settled by people who were originally wanting to settle West of the Mountains, since Vancouver was already an established city, and you could just take a steamboat there over a couple months instead of roughing it on the prairies.
Not sure how you think I'm saying there is a steamboat from Calgary when I am talking about a time when Calgary didnt exist.
In other words: why would people try to cross the mountains, give up, and settle the Calgary area, when people just took boats from Eastern Canada to Vancouver on the regular. There were already railroads being built across the continent by the time Calgary was growing, ffs.
Like I said, OP was probably joking with that anecdote, but lots of people believe that narrative about Calgary's history.... And it is totally incorrect. Calgary is not nearly old enough to have the same history as a place like Denver.
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u/maddecentparty 26d ago
We say the same thing about Calgary on the Rockies north of the border.