The Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta is an internationally recognized symbol of Canadian hospitality. William Cornelius Van Horne, appointed general manager of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has been credited with recognizing the tourism potential of the Canadian west. Van Horne maintained tourism was an intricate ingredient in getting people to ride CPR and was conscious of the financial possibilities attached to the western mountain scenery. His philosophy reflected this awareness, 'Since we can't export the scenery,' he said, ' we'll have to import the tourists.' To enhance traffic on the CPR, Van Horne envisioned a succession of lavish resort hotels along the railway line through the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains.
In 1886, CPR began developing three hotels to reflect Van Horne's idea of luxurious accommodations. The Mount Stephen House at Field, the Fraser
The history behind Renshaw Travel & Cruise Concepts goes back to the life story of a young man from a small-town whose ambition and determination took him to great places. This man was Don Renshaw.
Originally from Rothesay, New Brunswick, Don knew he could be more than just a farm-hand and so when he was offered to chauffeur a doctor and his family in 1945 west across the Lincoln Highway, he jumped at the opportunity. He knew that this would be his one ticket out of Rothesay, but little did he know that this trip would also shape the rest of his life.
After thirty days on the road, Don and the doctor's family arrived in Vancouver, a different place for Don, who came from a town where everyone was on a first name basis. Though not knowing a single soul, he soon fell in love with the city. Within weeks, Don was rehired by the doctor to drive down to Hollywood over the winter holidays. The highlight of this trip was staying in the garage of one of his idols, famous actor Walter Pidgeon. Don returned to Vancouver in early 1946 and began to earn his keep by working on steamships along the BC coast up to Alaska.
