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Abbott Pass Refuge Cabin, Alberta (38/65)


This is also part of this series: HistoryLands Series (65)

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Subjects: Canadian Geography, Canadian History

Grade Level: JrH-Adult
Producer: Good Earth Productions
Closed Captioned: No
Running Time: 30 mins
Country of Origin: Canada
Study Guide: No

Copyright Date:
Available in French: No

Philip Stanley Abbott was a young lawyer from Boston and renowned climber with the Appalachian Mountain Club. From a cliff face just above 'Death Trap Col' as it was then named, Abbott fell while his three companions watched in horror. It was his tragic and unsuccessful attempt to climb Mount Lefroy in 1896, which spurred the climbing frenzy in the Canadian Rockies and the eventual introduction of professional Swiss Guides to the mountain wilderness. In 1922, the Canadian Pacific Railway commissioned Swiss Guides to build a stone hut on the narrow col between Lake Louise and Lake O'Hara. It was named after Philip Abbott and continues to be a refuge for mountain climbers attempting the summits of Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy. The cabin, and its many guests, has been documented in photographs, and in climbers' stories from the last hundred years. 1999 marks the centennial of the Swiss Guides in the Canadian Rockies; the Abbott Pass Refuge Cabin is an important part of their glorious history.