by Anthony Imbrogno, a volunteer with The Calgary Heritage Initiative Society/Heritage Inspires YYC
Together, we’ve journeyed through a thousand years of human history in the Calgary area. I hope you’ve enjoyed discovering its history and character.
Two points of summary arise. First, Calgary has grown rapidly over its short history. From the Indigenous bands that camped here, to becoming the home of 1.5 million, Calgary’s pace of change is astounding.
The second is Calgary’s heritage is strongly tied to its economy. Fort Calgary was raised where the buffalo migration and continental trading routes crossed – X marks the spot of this resource-rich area.
Yet rapid change has come at the expense of our heritage assets.
There are reasons to preserve them. Seeing a historic building is like time travelling. It leads you to recall the legacy we’ve inherited and to consider what meaningful role you could have that lasts for 100 years or longer.
That feeling of awe and awareness is awaiting you here, whether its Stephen Avenue, Lougheed, or Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.
How Can We Keep Calgary’s Heritage Assets?
It’s incumbent on Calgarians to advocate for legal protections. But since protecting everything with public funds is costly, what else can be done?
The answer is the mission of the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society (CHI). CHI is a volunteer-run group that advocates for the preservation and promotion of the productive use of buildings and areas of historic significance.
As we seek to preserve and honour the heritage of Calgary, the other articles in this series raise one last question – what era is next?
It could be called Skyscraper City. Or what about Logistics Hub? Instead, I think the next era is Calgary as Prairie Capital.
This means we’ll provide our neighbours and allies with the gifts of this land: life-giving energy, the best quality food, and the fruits of our innovations and passions.
We will remain true to our roots. We’ll honour Indigenous heritage, and we’ll remember our Cow Town past and bring it to life as Stampede City. And we’ll build on the legacies of Oil Town and Olympic City.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Calgary’s history.
All copyright images cannot be shared without prior permission.
Calgary – Population, 2001 to 2024 (Alberta Government).
View of the National Hotel from the southeast (ca. 1910) Glenbow Archives, NA-1075-9.
Saddledome, Calgary, June 2025 (Anthony Imbrogno). From Scotsman’s Hill.
The Gresham Block was a 114-year-old building in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood that met its end when it was demolished this year. (Helen Pike/CBC).
Stephen Ave Quarter Building Classification (National Trust for Canada).
