Occupying the oldest surviving federal building in a Canadian National Park and dating from 1903, this museum is a national historic site. Its exhibits – a taxidermic collection of local animals, including grizzly and black bears, plus a tree carved with graffiti dating from 1841 – was curated by Norman Sanson, who ran the museum and Banff weather station until 1932. A number of the animals originally resided in a long-ago zoo that was briefly located behind the museum.
When the animals died, the zoo would donate them to be displayed in the museum – an early example of recycling, perhaps.
