Banff Cave & Basin Internment Camp
Banff Cave & Basin Internment Camp (1915-1917) - A World War I Canadian internment camp established in 1915 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Abandoned in 1917.
 |
 |
 | |
Banff Cave & Basin Internment Camp History
A World War I Canadian internment camp established in July 1915 in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Twenty-nine internment camps were established by the Canadian Government under the War Measures Act of 1914 to house interned enemy aliens, including immigrants who had not yet been naturalized. Within the camps internees were divided by class and ethnicity. First class internees were German officers and civilian equivalents while second class internees were generally Austro-Hungarian workers or laborers, mostly Ukrainians.
In western Canada four of the camps were located in national parks while in eastern Canada camps were located in military facilities including the Halifax Citadel, Stanley Barracks in Toronto and Fort Henry (3) in Kingston, Ontario. Other sites included armouries and other government buildings. Camps were established as early as 1914 while the last camp did not close until 1920.
The Banff Cave & Basin Internment Camp opened 13 Jul 1915. Within the barbed wire compound were 88 man barracks, a dining hall, a small hospital, a washhouse and privies. The population fluctuated between 200-600 internees depending on the season. This camp housed workers working in the Banff area and seasonally workers from the Castle Mountain Internment Camp.
Closed 15 Jul 1917.
Current Status
Interpretive center behind the Cave & Basin Visitor Center at the Cave & Basin Park, Banff, Alberta, Canada.
|
{"selectable":false,"width":"500"} |
Location: Banff Cave & Basin National Historic Site, Banff, Alberta, Canada. Maps & Images Lat: 51.16906 Long: -115.5925 |
See Also:
Sources:
- Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War: Canada's First World War Internment Operations, 1914-1920, Parks Canada Brochure, undated
Links:
- Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund
- Wikipedia - Ukrainian Canadian internment
- Historica Canada - Internment
- Parks Canada - Banff National Park
Visited: 6 Jul 2014