
C.A.R.T.S.
Central Alberta Regional Trails Society
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Calgary Edmonton Trail Corridor 1873-present
Long
before Springbrook, Mynarski Park or the British Commonwealth
Air Training Plan, the area was central to major transportation
corridors. First, of course, was the Red Deer River, a few miles
to the west.
Then, during the 1800's and earlier, there was the Wolf Trail (Bow
River Trail, Old North Trail, Fort Benton Trail) that
extended between Fort Benton in Montana to Fort Edmonton to the
north used by aboriginals, fur traders and early settlers.
In
this area, it ran just east of the river to Red Deer Crossing,
one of the better fording points on the river where later Fort Normandeau was built, a ferry service established and a
settlement developed. Around 1873, the Bow River Trail became
the Calgary and Edmonton
Trail (C & E Trail), the most dominant north-south route in
Alberta. It became a major stage coach route upon the arrival of
the Canadian Pacific Railway in Calgary in 1883.
In 1890-91 when the Calgary and Edmonton Railway was built, the
railway followed more or less the same general corridor as the C
& E Trail with several adjustments in alignment to accommodate
better grades. From Innisfail north to Red Deer, the railway ran
a few miles east of the Trail.
During the 1890's, an additional
road was built to follow the railroad and the towns the railway
built or went through. This new road eventually became Highway 1
in the 1930's and renamed Highway 2 when the Trans Canada
Highway was being built as an east-west highway in the 50's. It
became Highway 2A when the four lane Highway 2 was built in the
late 1960's. Meanwhile, several portions of the C & E Trail were
maintained in the areas where it was abandoned in favour of the
new route. Highway 2 between Calgary and Edmonton is now the
Queen Elizabeth II Highway, part of the Canamex Highway Trade
Corridor.
In the present day, there is much interest in creating walking,
biking or other types of trails in the vicinity using the river,
C & E Trail, and Highway 2A corridors. The Trans Canada Trail
from Red Deer to Olds and beyond is planned to go past
Springbrook. The preferred route has been determined to be the
Highway 2A corridor between the highway and the railway partly
due to its directness, partly due to the resistence of land
owners adjacent to other identified routes including the C & E
Trail, and partly due to the desire to hook up with the trail
systems in Red Deer including those in Waskasoo Park which are
already part of the Trans Canada Trail. Other options have
included the Waskasoo Creek corridor, the Red Deer River
corridor, the abandoned Alberta Central Railway corridor and
some country road allowances. The challenge now is that Alberta
Transportation is not supportive of trails within the highway
corridors, although they have approved the section between
Penhold and Springbrook.
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