Castle Mountain

Coordinates: 51°17′59″N 115°55′21″W / 51.29972°N 115.92250°W / 51.29972; -115.92250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Castle Mountain (disambiguation).
Castle Mountain
Captured from the Bow River bank
Highest point
Elevation2,766 m (9,075 ft)[1]
Prominence168 m (551 ft)[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°17′59″N 115°55′21″W / 51.29972°N 115.92250°W / 51.29972; -115.92250[1]
Naming
Native nameMiistukskoowa (Blackfoot)
Geography
Parent rangeSawback Range (Canadian Rockies)
Topo mapNTS 82O5 Castle Mountain
Climbing
First ascent1884 by Arthur P. Coleman[1][2]
Easiest routeModerate scramble (NE)

Castle Mountain (

Main Ranges in the Bow Valley and sits astride the Castle Mountain Fault which has thrust older sedimentary and metamorphic rocks forming the upper part of the mountain over the younger rocks forming its base. The mountain's castellated, or castle-like, appearance is a result of erosive processes acting at different rates on the peak's alternating layers of softer shale and harder limestone, dolomite and quartzite
.

The mountain was named in 1858 by

enemy aliens and suspected enemy sympathizers were confined during World War I
.

While looking nearly inaccessible from the Trans-Canada Highway, the peak can be ascended from the backside on the northeastern slopes. The trail to Rockbound Lake leads hikers around the eastern side. The massif contains several high points including Helena Ridge (2,862 m (9,390 ft)), Stuart Knob (2,850 m (9,350 ft)) and Television Peak (2,970 m (9,744 ft)), the latter being named for the TV repeater located on top. Technicians use a helicopter rather than hiking the long ascent to the top.

Geology

Castle Mountain above Rockbound Lake

Castle Mountain is the easternmost member of the Main Ranges in the Bow Valley.

metamorphic quartzite. Originally deposited in an ancient shallow sea, these deposits were later thrust over younger layers of late Paleozoic and Mesozoic age which now form the forested, gently sloping, base of Castle Mountain.[3][4][6] It is an example of a castellated mountain in which erosion has sculpted a series of flat or gently sloping terraces composed of softer shale and sharp cliffs which reveal alternating layers of shale interspersed by harder layers of quartzite, dolomite and limestone.[3][7]

First Nations land claim

On January 25, 2017, the Government of Canada and the Siksika Nation announced an agreement to settle a land claim in the region of Castle Mountain, known as Miistukskoowa to the Siksika. The agreement ended an outstanding claim dating back to the 1880s when land located at Castle Mountain was set aside as a timber berth for the use and benefit of the First Nation. The basis of the claim was that these lands were wrongfully taken from the First Nation in 1908 without their consent and without proper compensation. In 1911, these lands at Castle Mountain were added to Rocky Mountain Park, now known as Banff National Park. The agreement provides the Siksika Nation with approximately $123 million in financial compensation, the option to purchase on the open market up to 17,491 acres of land outside of the boundaries of Banff National Park and apply to Canada to have the lands added to its reserve, economic opportunities inside Banff National Park, and ongoing park access for cultural, traditional and educational purposes. First Nation members voted to approve the settlement on March 4, 2016. Canada gave its final approval on August 15, 2016.[8]

History

James Hector, who accompanied the

summit.[12]
The official journal of the Palliser Expedition records his ascent:

At 1,000 feet above the valley, before we had got quite out of the woods, we came to a cliff, about 80 feet high, composed of quartzite and indurated sandstone of a pinkish hue; the beds were nearly horizontal, and as they seem to continue so all the way to the top of the mountain, which is at least 3,000 feet higher, these quartzites must be the lowest beds I saw. [...] Above the point is a grassy slope, having an inclination of 33°, and so slippery that it was only with great trouble that we got over it; it would seem to indicate the occurrence of some soft beds that have weathered into the slope. After this we reached the first of the cliff ranges that are so conspicuous from the valley below; it was composed of quartzite, passing into a conglomerate of pebbles of milk quartz and other rocks. When 2,000 feet above the valley we passed round to the N[orth] side of the mountain, and found that a deep valley separated it from a lower spur composed of splintery shale of a dull red colour. The mass of the mountain, which yet rose more than 2,000 feet above us, seemed to be composed of thick-bedded limestones, and these breaking away as the soft shales below them have been destroyed has given rise to the castellated appearance.[10]

The first climber to reach the top of Castle Mountain was Arthur P. Coleman, a professor at the University of Toronto, in 1884.[13] Lawrence Grassi and P. Cerutti, both from Canmore, were the first to climb Eisenhower Tower in 1926.[13]

In 1881, Joe Healy received some

Canadian Pacific transcontinental railroad was built through the area in 1884.[4] Over three thousand people lived there at its height, but it was almost entirely abandoned in 1885 because the mines failed to yield a significant profit.[9]

Situated nearby is Castle Mountain Internment Camp, a First World War internment camp where Ukrainian immigrants to Canada were confined. Life in the camps was often described as 'grim'; with its isolated location far from the roads of the time, the Castle Mountain camp was an ideal place to confine 'enemy aliens' and 'suspected enemy sympathisers'.[1] The forced labour of these men helped build much of the infrastructure of Banff National Park. Internees were held at the Cave & Basin site during the winter months.

Construction began in 1910 at Castle Junction on a highway connecting British Columbia to Calgary that would, upon its completion in the early 1920s,[14] make Castle Mountain more accessible to climbers, hikers and other tourists.

Castle Mountain's Eisenhower Tower rises from the mist above the Trans-Canada Highway.

At a meeting of the Ottawa Canadian Club in January 1946 at which World War II general Dwight D. Eisenhower was a guest speaker,

telegram sent to King in the name of "members of the ski clubs and climbing clubs of the Rocky Mountains" protested the "inappropriate name of Eisenhower Peak".[16] By the 1970s, increasing displeasure at the new name was being voiced by Banff area residents through petitions submitted to the Alberta Heritage Sites Board for the restoration of the original name.[11] A change of name was already planned by 1976, but its implementation was delayed to avoid causing offense on account of the United States Bicentennial commemorations taking place that year.[17] The mountain was officially renamed Castle Mountain in November 1979,[18] but an isolated pinnacle at the southeastern end was designated Eisenhower Tower.[9][19]

Scramble route

While the peak presents a formidable challenge to climb when viewed from the highway, the mountain can be ascended by first hiking to Rockbound Lake which is located on the easier backside. A break in a cliff band provides access to a route above the lake. The ascent is a very long day when undertaken from the trailhead and can easily require 12 hours for a return trip. This cannot be shortened as random backcountry camping is not permitted in the area.[20] The Castle Mountain Hut on the southern side could be used but requires technical rock climbing skills and possibly a rope to access it.[21] While the normal scrambling route reached via Rockbound Lake is primarily a long slog, there is no discernible trail once one reaches the top of the "big hill" overlooking the lake and requires moderate scrambling abilities and a bit of route finding to ascend the gully leading to the upper bench. If pressed for time or a different objective, Helena Ridge is basically a scree slog straight up although a lingering snowfield in the gully above the big hill may provide some relief. Snow patches often linger on the upper routes even in late summer so an ice axe should be considered.[22]

Climbing routes

There are numerous rock climbing routes available on the mountain,[1] the most common routes being:

  • Bass Buttress
  • Brewer Buttress
  • Ultra Brewers
  • Eisenhower Tower

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Castle Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  2. ^ a b "Castle Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780921102656
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780978237547
    .
  5. ISBN 9780792262015
    .
  6. ISBN 9780978237523
    .
  7. ISBN 9780470153468
    .
  8. ^ "Canada and the Siksika Nation Advance Reconciliation with Signing of Castle Mountain Settlement". Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. January 25, 2017. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9781897522790
    .
  10. ^ a b Palliser, John (1863). Exploration - British North America: The journals, detailed reports, and observations relative to the exploration, by Captain Palliser, of that portion of British North America, which, in latitude, lies between the British boundary line and the height of land or watershed of the northern or frozen ocean respectively, and in longitude, between the western shore of Lake Superior and the Pacific Ocean during the years 1857, 1858, 1859, and 1860. London: G.E. Eyre and W. Spottiswoode. pp. 101–102.
  11. ^ a b "Petitions are piling up over 'Castle Mountain'". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 1975-02-03. p. 29. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  12. ^ "Banff residents want Eisenhower off historic mountain". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 1975-01-20. p. 31. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  13. ^ a b "Canmore Climber Led Way to Top of Peak". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 1946-01-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  14. ^ Liddell, Ken (1953-06-24). "Mountain Road Built to Fit the Contour". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. 14. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  15. ^ "Majestic Mount Eisenhower Is Home of Chinook Wind, Legend Claims". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. 1946-01-11. p. 19. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  16. ^ a b "Banff is Pleased Mountain Named After Eisenhower". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. 1946-01-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  17. ^ "Eisenhower Mountain name change planned". Lawrence Journal-World. Lawrence, Kansas. 1976-04-07. p. 13. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  18. Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1979-11-27. p. 2 (Part 3). Retrieved 2012-09-22.[permanent dead link
    ]
  19. ISBN 978-1-894765-79-4
    .
  20. ISBN 978-0-660-24743-4. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  21. ^ "Castle Mountain Hut". Alpine Club of Canada. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  22. ^ Kane, Alan (1999). "Castle Mountain".
    ISBN 0-921102-67-4
    .

External links
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