The Story of
Bowness

Long before Calgary annexed it, Bowness existed as its own ambitious project. English solicitor John Hextall arrived in 1908 with plans for an upscale suburb defined by “great natural beauty.” Determined to bring the streetcar across the river, he poured $75,000 into a private bridge and gave away the riverside islands that later became Bowness Park. But wartime economic troubles and Hextall’s sudden death in 1914 meant his exclusive estate never sold out as planned.

In the decades that followed, Bowness carried on as its own proudly self-run municipality. Joining Calgary became unavoidable in the 1960s, once the city started charging double fare to anyone crossing the river into town. A community vote sealed it, and annexation followed officially in 1964. That “stubborn pride” still lingers today, and the park Hextall gave the community now ranks among Calgary’s best-loved green spaces — proof that his once-struggling plan eventually paid off.