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Mount Stephen House was a hotel located in 
In its heyday between 1885 and 1918, the hotel was frequented by wealthy Europeans, and had a large dining room, ballroom, and a library. The hotel was managed by Annie Mollison; her sister Jean was the manager at Glacier House. Mount Mollison in the nearby Ottertail Range is named for the sisters. In 1918, the
Mount Stephen House was a hotel located in Field, British Columbia
Field is an unincorporated community of approximately 169 people located in the Kicking Horse River valley of southeastern British Columbia,
Canada, within the confines of Yoho National Park. At an elevation of , it is west of Lake Louise along ...
from 1886 to 1963. It was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), and was a central feature of Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park ( ) is a national park of Canada. It is located within the Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide of the Americas in southeastern British Columbia, bordered by Kootenay National Park to the south and ...
. It was named for the eponymous Mount Stephen
Mount Stephen, , is a mountain located in the Kicking Horse River Valley of Yoho National Park, km east of Field, British Columbia, Canada. The mountain was named in 1886 for George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railw ...
, which was named for a president of the CPR, George Stephen.
Along with Glacier House in Glacier National Park and Fraser Canyon House (aka Canyon House) at North Bend in the Fraser Canyon
The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser ...
, it was designed by Thomas Sorby. Because of the steep grade of the "Big Hill
The Big Hill on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line in British Columbia, Canada, was the most difficult piece of railway track on the Canadian Pacific Railway's route. It was situated in the rugged Canadian Rockies west of the Continental Div ...
" east of Field (which climbs to the Continental Divide), heavy dining cars could not be hauled over this section of track. The hotel was designed as a simple meal stop between Banff and Golden. The demand for overnight visits increased as tourists began to explore the surrounding area. Between 1900 and 1902, the hotel underwent a major expansion designed by architect Francis Rattenbury
Francis Mawson Rattenbury (11 October 1867 – 28 March 1935) was a British architect although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada, where he designed the province's legislative building among other public commissions. Divorc ...
. Sorby's small rectangular building was augmented with fifty new rooms, as well as amenities such as a billiards room and modern plumbing. Rattenbury changed Sorby's Alpine architecture to something closer to English Tudor design, adding gables and exposed wood beams.
In its heyday between 1885 and 1918, the hotel was frequented by wealthy Europeans, and had a large dining room, ballroom, and a library. The hotel was managed by Annie Mollison; her sister Jean was the manager at Glacier House. Mount Mollison in the nearby Ottertail Range is named for the sisters. In 1918, the YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
took over the management, and it became primarily accommodation for CPR employees. In 1953, CPR resumed the management, and the next year demolished all but the 1902 wing to provide space for a new station. In 1963, the remainder of the building was demolished.
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline, Mount Stephen House, British Columbia Canadian Pacific Railway hotels Hotels established in 1885 Yoho National Park 1885 establishments in Canada