Gibbon, John Murray National Historic Person
Banff National Park, Alberta
Image not available
(© Parcs Canada / Parks Canada 2011)
Address :
St. Julien Road and Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff National Park, Alberta
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1954-06-07
Life Date:
1875 to 1952
Other Name(s):
-
Gibbon, John Murray
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Author and novelist, founded Canadian Authors' Association (1921)
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: behind Administration Building, Banff School of Fine Arts St. Julien Road and Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff, Alberta
Born in Ceylon and educated in Scotland and Germany, Gibbon studied painting before turning to journalism. As publicity agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1913 to 1945, he combined advertising with the promotion of a Canadian identity, popularizing the image of Canadian society as a mosaic. He organized folk culture festivals and was instrumental in establishing the "Trail Rider of the Canadian Rockies" at Banff. A prolific author of novels, lyrics, history and social commentary, Gibbon helped found the Canadian Authors' Association in 1921.