A CASTLE IN THE WILDERNESS: THE STORY OF THE BANFF SPRINGS HOTEL is the definitive historical record of one of the world’s most famous mountain resorts. The story navigates the hotel’s early history from its construction by the Canadian Pacific Railway to the glittering era of the 1920s through to the changes of modern times. Local author and historian Bart Robinson has been exploring and writing about the Banff Springs Hotel since the 1970s. In A Castle in the Wilderness he combines a complete hotel history with rich anecdotes and snippets of the past that have enriched Banff and indeed Canada, from the hotel’s links to the construction of the transcontinental rail line to the visits of maharajahs and movie stars. How did such a gracious hotel come to be in the wilds of the Canadian Rockies? How much did it cost to build? Who designed it? Who selected its furnishings? Which famous visitors has it hosted? And why is now known as the Fairmont Banff Springs? These and many more questions are answered in A Castle in the Wilderness.

Bart Robinson's profile page

Aside from writing A Castle in the Wilderness and several other books on the human and natural history of the Canadian Rockies, BART ROBINSON has enjoyed a long career as a journalist, editor, and conservationist. He was an editor with Equinox magazine from 1982 to 1994, and the Executive Director of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative from 1996 to 2003. He currently lives in Canmore, Alberta, where he has worked with the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley and The Natural Step Canada.