Calgary and Edmonton Trail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Calgary and Edmonton Trail was a land transport route between Fort Edmonton and Fort Calgary in the Canadian Northwest.

Several trails south from the fur trade post at Fort Edmonton had existed for some time. The more modern trail was blazed by John McDougall in 1873 as far as Morley and extended to Calgary two years later.

[edit] Name and namesakes

Alberta Highway 2 is now the main route from Edmonton to Calgary. Most of it bares the name "Queen Elizabeth II Highway," but some sections are named in honour of the old trail, as are other roads leading in the same direction.

Heading south from Edmonton, the trail was called "Calgary Trail". Calgary Trail now refers to the southbound portion of Highway 2 within the boundaries of the city of Edmonton.

Heading north from Calgary, the trail bore the name "Edmonton Trail". That name now refers to a north-south feeder road in Calgary approximately 1 km west of the current Highway 2 and approximately 0.25 km east of Centre Street North.