In 1886, the Canadian government reserved 10 square miles (26 square km) at the foot of Mount Stephen in Yoho as a dominion park. In 1930 a much larger area was declared a national park.
The park was named after a Cree word meaning wonder and awe, an expression which perfectly describes Yoho National Park.
Shaped by the forces of plate tectonics and erosion and sculpted by glaciers from the ice age, Yohos steep slopes, flat valleys, and alpine a variety of unique habitats that are home to an incredibly diverse mix of plants and animals.
An 1871 agreement to bring the province of British Columbia into the Confederation of Canada set the wheels in motion for the creation of the Field townsite. Crucial to the agreement was to expand railway access across the continent.
Established in the 1880s as a settlement of tents and shacks to house construction workers for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Field soon became a hotbed of activity in the Rocky Mountains. The townsite received its name in honour of Cyrus Field, an American
The CPR greatly influenced development in the area by building many of the hiking trails surrounding Field and erecting a variety of mountain hotels, chalets, and guide houses to attract the wealthy tourists who helped fund the construction of the railway, which in 1885.
