Calgary Street Naming conventions

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by Slug

Anyone know the extent of traffic lights being installed on the ring road? After seeing the installed lights at the center street intersection I began to wonder if all this money is being spent on another Barlow or McKnight.

I think that using the word "Trail" to describe Barlow is a stretch! "Trail" should be used solely for those roadways that have NO lights on them at all. So this brings me to a question that probably should be in a different thread (moderator: you can move it if you agree): McKnight and John Laurie have a combination of lights and interchanges and are called Boulevards. Would that term better describe Barlow as well?

[Smevo]

I'd have to agree with you on "Trail" being a stretch for Barlow, and I'd add MacLeod, Edmonton, Beddington, Shaganappi, and Sarcee to that as well. I'd say Barlow and Edmonton are the biggest stretches.

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

I think that using the word "Trail" to describe Barlow is a stretch! "Trail" should be used solely for those roadways that have NO lights on them at all. So this brings me to a question that probably should be in a different thread (moderator: you can move it if you agree): McKnight and John Laurie have a combination of lights and interchanges and are called Boulevards. Would that term better describe Barlow as well?

So, using your argument, Blackfoot shouldn't be considered a "Trail" either.

Originally Posted by Smevo

I'd have to agree with you on "Trail" being a stretch for Barlow, and I'd add MacLeod, Edmonton, Beddington, Shaganappi, and Sarcee to that as well. I'd say Barlow and Edmonton are the biggest stretches.

I would agree. Edmonton Trail should just be renamed 4 Street NE and Barlow Trail should be renamed Barlow Drive.

Now, what I've never understood is why Edmonton Trail is named as it is. Calgary Trail in Edmonton leads to Calgary, but Edmonton Trail leads from Memorial Drive to McKnight. By no stretch of the imagination does it lead to Edmonton.

[Stang]

There are a number of "trails" that have lights, don't lead to where they once did, etc. Actually, only Deerfoot Trail (off the top of my head) doesn't have lights.

I kind of like the "old" trails that are named after where, at one point in time, they headed. Banff, Morley, Macleod (still points there), Edmonton.

Edit: The one that I'm not so sure about it Banff Trail. Does anyone know if this ever pointed to Banff or if it was just named after Banff?

I don't think that any should be renamed. The old trails have a little bit of history, which Calgary is severely lacking in our road names.

It certainly seems that the current trend is to name major roads "trail" and usually with a First Nations name - I don't mind this. But I don't see any reason to change any existing trails to something else because honestly, to me, trail doesn't mean freeway. Just a major road.

[mersar]

Banff Trail used to follow whats now part of Crowchild's alignment north of where it ends (considering all thats left is a couple blocks) and out toward Cochrane from what I recall. From what I recall when the U of C first opened its address was actually on Banff Trail. Other roads like Morley Trail and the similar named roads in that neighborhood were ceremonially named only.

Prior to construction of the TransCanada there were two routes west from the city, the one that lead through Cochrane roughly where Crowchild is (with some deviations such as how it actually came into Cochrane, it used to wind through whats now Gleneagles) and the 'Banff Coach Road' (now Old Banff Coach Road) which came out of the west end and then down to the TCH alignment quite a ways west of the city (the part between Springbank Road and TCH just carries the name, if I recall that wasn't where the road really was)

Edmonton Trail I don't know the full history of, but its possible it was a more ceremonial name (or location, at least for its north most part) given to that road to keep the name in existance. Theres another part between Calgary and Edmonton that fits the set, the aptly named 'Calgary-Edmonton Trail' which runs through many communities along the way to Edmonton, and was the precursor to Highway 2

[Stang]

Cool info Mersar. Thanks.

The only reason that I thought Morley Trail continued to Cochrane (and beyond to Morley obviously) was because there is a little section called Morley Trail in Dalhousie:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&sourc...19312&t=h&z=16

I figured it was just a long lost segment that remained after Crowchild made its way through, but I have nothing to back it up.

My Dad seems to remember Edmonton Trail actually heading out of town to the North when he came to Canada, but again, I've got nothing to back this up. This would have been slightly pre-Deerfoot I think.

Mersar: I assume that you're a bit of a cartographer yourself (from the Open Street Map link in your sig). Do you know of any old city maps online anywhere? It is pretty neat to see what the road network looked like in previous eras.

One trail that I bet nobody has heard of is Contumacious Trail. It appears to be a mapping error by Navteq. Spotted it on my GPS one day while driving in Crowfoot:

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...20ab&encType=1

[tdurden5573]

Originally Posted by mersar

Banff Trail used to follow whats now part of Crowchild's alignment north of where it ends (considering all thats left is a couple blocks) and out toward Cochrane from what I recall. From what I recall when the U of C first opened its address was actually on Banff Trail. Other roads like Morley Trail and the similar named roads in that neighborhood were ceremonially named only.

Prior to construction of the TransCanada there were two routes west from the city, the one that lead through Cochrane roughly where Crowchild is (with some deviations such as how it actually came into Cochrane, it used to wind through whats now Gleneagles) and the 'Banff Coach Road' (now Old Banff Coach Road) which came out of the west end and then down to the TCH alignment quite a ways west of the city (the part between Springbank Road and TCH just carries the name, if I recall that wasn't where the road really was)

I recall a park in Varsity Estates that had a grassy section. 1/2 an inch under the grass (which could be scraped away with your foot) there was assfalt. I recall scraping a large section off and seeing yellow lines of a road, It turned out to be that original highway heading out west. They just threw dirt over it and left it for 40 years. It has since been removed as part of the 53rd street / Dalhousie constuction.

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by Stang

One trail that I bet nobody has heard of is Contumacious Trail. It appears to be a mapping error by Navteq. Spotted it on my GPS one day while driving in Crowfoot:

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...20ab&encType=1

Yes! That showed up on our GPS too!

[Oliver Klozov]

As mersar has pointed out, Banff Trail was what is now Crowchild beyond where it ends. It was likely a lot more of a winding road than the Crowchild of today and that piece of asphalt in Varsity Estates could well have been part of it.

Edmonton Trail was the Calgary end of the C & E Trail (Calgary & Edmonton). Pieces of that original C & E Trail are still named as such in the Red Deer area.

Some of the Banff Coach Road's alignment beyond where it ends today can still be seen crossing the TCH just west of the interchange. It continued west and north from there (most of it now obliterated) to Cochrane and entered Cochrane in the SE corner. The bridge over the Bow in Cochrane is still there.

[mersar]

Interesting, I didn't realise that there was a piece of Morley Trail over there. I only knew about the part east of the U of C in Banff Trail/Charleswood.

As for old road maps, there was a site that had scans of some late 60's and early 70's maps (when Deerfoot was being built) but they appear to have taken them off their site. I may have saved them to my computer at home, I'll take a look as they were interesting to compare to the current road system.

And the highway below the park actually doesn't surprise me, if you pay attention as you head towards Cochrane on 1A, just past Glenbow Road if you look to the south of the highway you can still see some of the asphalt left from the historic route that 1A used to take. Theres only a couple dozen feet of it visible, before Gleneagles was developed the entire highway that ran through there was left, they just dug out a bit where the new alignment continued west and left the rest when that project was done in the 80's I believe. Compare that to today when if they remove/realign a road they spend huge amounts of money to return the ground to look as close as it can to there never being a road there.

[Oliver Klozov]

Originally Posted by mersar

......As for old road maps, ......

hmmmm, I have a 1953 Alberta Highways map around somewhere but I've moved a few times since I last looked at.

It didn't have any detail for the City of Calgary but then Calgary wasn't very big back then. For example, Highway #8 used to go from Calgary through Montgomery to the Town of Bowness!

[dmuzika]

Originally Posted by mersar

Edmonton Trail I don't know the full history of, but its possible it was a more ceremonial name (or location, at least for its north most part) given to that road to keep the name in existance. Theres another part between Calgary and Edmonton that fits the set, the aptly named 'Calgary-Edmonton Trail' which runs through many communities along the way to Edmonton, and was the precursor to Highway 2

I understand that Edmonton Trail followed it's existing alignment to 32 Ave Connector, then followed 41 Ave NE through the now Greenview Industrial Park. Edmonton Trail then roughly followed now McKnight Blvd and Barlow Trail north out of the city. A combination Barlow Trail was constructed south to the Trans Canada Highway, northern growth, and later Deerfoot Trail was built resulted in sections of Edmonton Trail being closed, renamed, etc.

[srperrycgy]

Found these old maps (1966) in my files:

[Stang]

^^^ Holy smokes. That's awesome. Thanks!

[crooked rain]

I always thought Old Banff Coach Rd lined up with Bow Trail. Now I know for sure.

[Jimby]

Interesting maps. I have never heard of Buffalo Stadium in Eau Claire before.
I wonder when that disappeared?
Also it shows Prince's Island extending west to the 10 Street bridge.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by Jimby

Interesting maps. I have never heard of Buffalo Stadium in Eau Claire before.
I wonder when that disappeared?
Also it shows Prince's Island extending west to the 10 Street bridge.

Also shows the downtown CPR Station as it's from 2 yrs before the Calgary Tower was built.

Buffalo Stadium 1946 (www.glenbow.org)

http://library.ucalgary.ca/madgic/maps-airphotos

[DizzyEdge]

Also notice that Macleod Tr north of 34th ave is named Victoria Rd, whereas Macleod Tr continues on through the cemetery and through Ramsay (where Spiller Rd goes now). A few years ago I spotted a remaining sidewalk stamp on spiller that read Macleod Trail, but it's probably gone now.

And I see my hood of Balmoral is representin'

Above map with the 4 quadrants put together:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7...966calgary.jpg

[ksnaden]

Thank you very much for sharing the map. I often wondered if Deerfoot was "new". It's hard to imagine Calgary without it now.

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Above map with the 4 quadrants put together:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/7...966calgary.jpg

I can't tell from the map, but were Bowness and Forest Lawn still separate towns?