Establishment of the Canadian Youth Hostel at Bragg Creek, Alberta National Historic Event
Bragg Creek, Alberta
First youth hostel at Bragg Creek, 1933
(© GlenbowArchives, NA-2468-33)
Address :
Highway 22, Bragg Creek, Alberta
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2011-07-19
Dates:
-
1933 to 1933
(Established)
Other Name(s):
-
Establishment of the Canadian Youth Hostel at Bragg Creek, Alberta
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2009-008
Importance:
Earliest youth hostel in North America; reflected the energy and drive of Mary and Catherine Barclay, who were the pioneers of the youth hostelling movement in Canada
Plaque(s)
On 13 May 1933, Mary and Catherine Barclay and a few of their friends pitched a large canvas tent on Ida May White’s property in Bragg Creek. They began to charge young hikers a modest fee for a safe place to stay and soon started a permanent home for the hostel on Thomas Fullerton’s nearby property. Inspired by the youth hostelling movement in Europe, the energetic Barclay sisters founded the Canadian Youth Hostels Association. By the early 1940s, its success had led to the creation of a network of affordable accommodations in Canada, offering opportunities for independent, adventurous travel.