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Brand/Publisher: Canadian Government Travel Bureau, Ottawa, Canada; compiled in co-operation with the National Parks Service and issued under the authority of the Honourable Jean Lesage, Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources; printers line at lower back panel reads QUEEN\'S PRINTER—11216—1954, Printed in Canada.
Item: Vintage 1954 fold-out motorist\'s guide and road map titled Motor Drives at Banff, covering the vicinity of Banff in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
Front cover on off-white paper presents the red title MOTOR DRIVES AT BANFF above black text reading A Motorist\'s Guide to the Vicinity of Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, with a small imprint line noting that it was issued under ministerial authority.
The reverse outer panel features a block of text headed BOW RIVER and WILDLIFE NOTES, offering advice on viewing wildlife safely in Canada\'s national parks, brief natural history notes on species such as black bears, coyotes, bighorn sheep, goats and birds, and a short notice about the booklet Birds of Canada\'s Mountain Parks available from park information bureaus.
One side of the sheet opens to a large black and white map with red overprinted route lines showing motor drives around Banff, with highways, trails, railways and viewpoints identified by symbols, and surrounding peaks and landmarks labeled, including Cascade Mountain, Sulphur Mountain, Mount Rundle, Mount Norquay, Stoney Squaw Mountain, Lake Minnewanka, and the Bow River valley.
The opposite side folds out to a dense multi-panel text guide describing suggested auto excursions, scenic lookouts and recreation areas, with section headings such as Motor Drives at Banff, Cave and Basin Hot Springs, Sundance Canyon, Bow River Boat House and Recreation Grounds, Upper Hot Springs, Banff Springs Hotel, Fish Hatchery, Bow Falls, Golf Course Loop, Mount Norquay–Banff Chairlift, Tunnel Mountain Road–Lake Minnewanka, and N. Highway–The West Road.
Additional text columns provide historical notes on local place names, references to early explorers and surveyors, and practical driving information such as mileage for each loop, road surface conditions, and recommended stopping points for picnics, photography and mountain views.
Format and appearance: tall, narrow paper brochure that folds down to a slim pocket map; printed in black and red ink on lightweight off-white stock, with one side devoted to the fold-out map and wildlife notes and the other to detailed route descriptions arranged in vertical columns.
Notes: Classic mid twentieth century Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park travel ephemera, ideal for collectors of vintage automobile touring guides, Canadian Government Travel Bureau publications, and Alberta national park maps.
