Cave and Basin National Historic Site

The Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada is located in the town of Banff, Alberta, at the site of natural sulphurous springs around which Banff National Park was first established. James Hector of the Palliser Expedition of 1859 first recorded the thermal springs in the area. The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in the Bow Valley in 1883, and three rail workers, as well as other claimants, attempted to make a land/mineral claim. A governmental court enquiry ensued and the Canadian government led by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald decided to set aside 26 square kilometres encompassing all of the thermal mineral springs as a reserve and protected area. Today, the Cave and Basin is rightfully recognized as the birthplace of Canada’s National Parks system.

The Cave and Basin hot springs are also notable as the habitat for the Banff Springs snail, an endangered species.

External links

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/caveandbasin/natcul/index_E.asp

v t e Protected areas in Alberta
World Heritage Sites	Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Dinosaur Provincial Park Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Wood Buffalo National Park Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
National parks	Banff Elk Island Jasper Waterton Lakes Wood Buffalo
Provincial parks, wildlands and wildernesses	Aspen Beach Antelope Hill Beauvais Lake Big Hill Springs Big Island Big Knife Bow Valley Bragg Creek Brown-Lowery Calling Lake Canmore Nordic Centre Caribou Mountains Carson-Pegasus Castle Castle Wildland Chain Lakes Cold Lake Crimson Lake Cross Lake Crow Lake Cypress Hills Dillberry Lake Dinosaur Dry Island Buffalo Jump Dunvegan Eagle Point Fish Creek Garner Lake Glenbow Ranch Gooseberry Lake Greene Valley Gregoire Lake Hilliard's Bay Hay-Zama Lakes Jarvis Bay Kinbrook Island Kananaskis Country Lakeland Lesser Slave Lake Little Bow Little Fish Lois Hole Centennial Long Lake Midland Miquelon Lake Moonshine Lake Moose Lake Notikewin Obed Lake O'Brien Park Lake Pembina River Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Pierre Grey's Lakes Pigeon Lake Police Outpost Queen Elizabeth Ram Falls Red Lodge Rochon Sands Rock Lake Saskatoon Island Sheep River Sir Winston Churchill Spray Valley Strathcona Science Sundance Sylvan Lake Thunder Lake Tillebrook Two Lakes Vermilion Wabamun Lake Whitney Lakes William A. Switzer Williamson Willmore Wilderness Willow Creek Winagami Lake Woolford Writing-on-Stone Wyndham-Carseland Young's Point
Urban parks	Calgary Zoo Devonian Gardens Edmonton Valley Zoo Edworthy Park Mill Woods Park Muttart Conservatory North Saskatchewan River Valley Nose Hill Oldman River Valley Pearce Estate Park University of Alberta Botanic Garden Sylvan Lake
Museums and historic sites	Alberta Central Railway Museum Atlas Coal Mine Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre Canadian Tractor Museum Cold Lake Air Force Ellis Bird Farm Fort Calgary Fort Edmonton Park Fort Victoria Fort Whoop-Up Frank Slide Galt Historic Railway Park Glenbow Museum Heritage Acres Farm Museum Heritage Park Krause Milling Co. Pioneer Acres Prairie Elevator Museum Remington Carriage Museum Reynolds Royal Alberta Royal Tyrrell Scandia Eastern Irrigation District Museum South Peace Centennial Museum Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum St. Albert Grain Elevator Park Ukrainian Village Warner elevator row Whyte National historic sites Provincial historic sites

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