Jim and Bill Brewster

Jim (James) and Bill (William) Brewster built the dominant tourism empire in the Canadian Rockies; from dairy boys at the base of Sulphur Mountain to the “official” outfitters of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Their father, John Brewster, arrived in Banff in 1886; his wife Isabella brought the children; including Bill (b. 1880) and Jim (b. 1882); in 1888. John ran a dairy supplying the Banff Springs Hotel, but the boys preferred guiding wealthy guests. By ages 10 and 12 they were offering fishing and trail services.

William Twin and Indigenous knowledge. The crucial factor in their rise was William Twin, a respected Stoney Nakoda elder who mentored the brothers. Twin taught them tracking, weather, horse packing, and the geography of valleys and passes; skills that gave them a competitive edge over the CPR’s Swiss guides: a rough, authentic connection to the land.

W. & J. Brewster (1900). The brothers formed “W. & J. Brewster, Experienced Guides and Packers” in 1900. The CPR awarded them the exclusive contract to transport guests from the train station to the Banff Springs Hotel; the cornerstone of their empire. They operated the famous “Tally-Ho” horse-drawn carriages to sights like the Hoodoos and Lake Minnewanka. 1916 pivot: When automobiles were banned in Banff National Park, Jim correctly predicted the ban would be lifted and secretly ordered a fleet of Overland touring cars. When it was, Brewster Transport was the only company ready; retiring the Tally-Hos overnight and securing dominance in the motorized era.

Expansion. Jim acquired the Mount Royal Hotel in downtown Banff; built a lodge at what became Sunshine Village ski resort; and anticipated the Icefields Parkway by building the Columbia Icefield Chalet. The brothers struck a deal with Matson Navigation (1920s–30s): “Brewster’s Boys” drove tourists in Honolulu during the winter off-season, creating a unique Rockies–Hawaii hospitality cycle.

Divergence. Jim; “The Mountain King,” the “uncrowned Mayor of Banff”; was the visionary and politician. He lobbied for road construction (benefiting his bus fleet) and personally drove King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on their 1939 Royal Visit, famously chatting with them and taking them to his private residence. Bill, the quieter horseman, moved to Montana (~1912) to run the Park Saddle Horse Company in Glacier National Park. He returned to focus on the Kananaskis Guest Ranch (opened 1923 by his wife Missy on the family homestead); a domain of authentic western hospitality, rodeos, and pack trips, distinct from Jim’s industrialized Banff tourism.

Legacy. The brothers died within years of each other (Jim 1947). The company split: motorized and hotel assets (Pursuit/Viad Corp) now own the Banff Gondola and Ice Explorer buses; Bill’s descendants operate Brewster Adventures (6th generation); horse packing, sleigh rides, Kananaskis Ranch; maintaining traditions passed down from William Twin.