Howse Pass
Encyclopedia
Howse Pass is a pass
through the Rocky Mountains
. The pass was used by First Nations people such as the Kootenay and Piegan. European explorers first discovered the pass in 1806, and David Thompson
explored it in 1807. Thompson named the pass after Joseph Howse, a Hudson's Bay Company
factor.
The pass is located in Banff National Park
, between Mount Conway
and Howse Peak
.
It is drained on the east by Conway Creek, flowing eventually into the Hudson Bay
.
It is drained on the west by the Blaeberry River
flowing eventually into the Pacific Ocean
.
Howse Pass is lower than many other passes in this range.
The pass was considered for the Canadian Pacific's route, but Kicking Horse Pass
was chosen instead.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
through the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The pass was used by First Nations people such as the Kootenay and Piegan. European explorers first discovered the pass in 1806, and David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
explored it in 1807. Thompson named the pass after Joseph Howse, a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
factor.
The pass is located in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, between Mount Conway
Mount Conway
Mount Conway is a mountain located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia. It was named in 1901 by J. Norman Collie after Conway, William Martin.-See also:*List of peaks on the British Columbia-Alberta border*Mountains of Alberta...
and Howse Peak
Howse Peak
Howse Peak is the highest mountain in the Waputik Range, a subrange of the Canadian Rockies. It is located west of the Icefields Parkway, above Chephren Lake, on the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia. It is the 46th highest peak in Alberta, and the 59th highest in British...
.
It is drained on the east by Conway Creek, flowing eventually into the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
.
It is drained on the west by the Blaeberry River
Blaeberry River
The Blaeberry River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the Columbia Country of British Columbia, Canada, rising in the Canadian Rockies on the south side of Howse Pass and joining the Columbia midway between the town of Golden, at the confluence of the Kicking Horse River, and the east foot of...
flowing eventually into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Howse Pass is lower than many other passes in this range.
The pass was considered for the Canadian Pacific's route, but Kicking Horse Pass
Kicking Horse Pass
Kicking Horse Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff National Parks...
was chosen instead.