Emerald Lakes B&B: Japan in the Heart of the Rockies
After a long, breathtaking drive across the Rockies—and nearly running out of fuel—we finally arrived in Canmore, where Mary warmly awaited us at the Emerald Lakes B&B. Perched on the heights of this charming small town, the B&B is exceptionally spacious and modern. It features a grand living room with soaring ceilings and a centrally located ground-floor kitchen equipped with a beautiful old-style stove. Mary was already bustling about, preparing for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast, complete with roasted turkey, baked ham, and countless other traditional delights.
Around ten guests were already gathered, creating a lively and diverse atmosphere. Among them were Carole, the owner of Cedar Spring Bed & Breakfast; Richard, an entrepreneur with a distinctly British accent, playfully lamenting his overwhelming workload; Sergeant Don Cohn of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Mike, Carole's friend—a 50-year-old physical education teacher and lifelong athlete from England who was actively preparing to climb Mount Everest with his students.
Mary is a tall, charismatic woman with a wonderfully vibrant and somewhat eccentric, artistic personality. Throughout her expansive home, flooded with natural light from large bay windows, one can admire an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, and exquisite Asian—particularly Japanese—porcelains. Having shared her life with a Japanese husband, she spent many years traveling between Japan, the United States, and Canada. Her highly refined breakfasts are served elegantly on a massive teak table in the living room, offering stunning views of the snow-capped mountains.
Both Canmore and Banff share a distinct, lively ski-resort atmosphere, completely surrounded by the imposing, snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The rugged days of the old trading posts, where trappers once came to sell their hard-earned furs, are long gone. To truly understand Canmore, one must look back 117 years to the town's humble beginnings.
However, stretching back 11,000 years or more, the Bow Valley was originally traversed by the nomadic peoples of the First Nations in constant pursuit of big game. Their ancient passage is still marked today by the scattered remains of their seasonal hunting camps. The Bow River Valley served as a vital hunting ground for several tribes, including the Kootenay and the Peigan. In fact, the river owes its modern name to the sturdy bows crafted by these Indigenous peoples from the supple branches of the trees lining its banks.
A much more recent historical connection is echoed in the name of the mountain overlooking Canmore: Ehagay Nakoda (The Last Nakoda). In the 17th century, migrating westward to escape the devastating spread of smallpox and fierce internal conflicts among the Sioux, the Nakoda people settled in the Bow River region. Originally part of the Dakota Sioux from the Upper Missouri River Valley in the United States, the Nakoda became widely known as the 'Stoneys' due to their traditional cooking method of boiling water with heated stones. Today, they proudly continue to speak the Nakoda dialect of the ancient Sioux language.
Living far off the beaten paths used by early white explorers, the Stoney people remained relatively isolated from European influence until the arrival of Methodist missionaries in the mid-19th century. In 1877, this isolation ended when the Blackfoot, Peigan, Blood, Tsuut'ina (Sarcee), and Stoney nations signed Treaty 7 with the Canadian government, officially ceding the rights to their vast traditional lands. In exchange, they were relegated to specific reserves and promised provisions and financial compensation. Today, over 3,400 people live across three reserves designated for the Wesley, Chiniki, and Bearspaw groups that form the Stoney Nation. Their largest reserve, centered around the town of Morley, sits just twenty minutes east of Canmore.
In 1883, the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway finally reached the settlement that would soon become Canmore, named in honor of Malcolm III (Malcolm Canmore), King of Scotland from 1057 to 1093. Four years later, the discovery of rich anthracite coal seams along the south bank of the Bow River triggered an unprecedented economic boom. For decades, the town's growth and prosperity remained inextricably tied to the bustling success of these mines.
When the last mine abruptly closed on "Black Friday," July 13, 1979, deeply anxious residents wondered if their town would simply fade into a ghost town. Fortunately, tourism quickly began to take over—initially at a slow pace, but skyrocketing after 1988, when the Winter Olympics put Calgary and the magnificent Rockies firmly on the global map.
Emerald Lakes B&B, Mary Adelen, Canmore, Alberta, Canada -
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