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Stop One

Look around. Larch Island didn’t always look like this. It used to be barren - not a single tree, only rocks and low grasses. From this stop, you were once able to look back and see the Engine Bridge and the Bow River clearly, without any obstacle in view.

But things changed when the trees arrived. Some say it happened quickly, in the dark, over the course of a night. This barren landscape morphed into an island covered in trees. And once the trees arrived, small animals and birds came, along with the rare plants and flowers. Even the river changed its flow, to congregate close to here. Overnight, everything was different. It was early spring, 1909.

Landscapes and views change, of course. But it was the speed at which things happened that was odd. What could have caused the trees to arrive so quickly? Was it something in the soil? In the water? Perhaps it was some unknown gas leaching from the nearby mine?

It was all anyone could talk about in town. The news of this unusual development in Larch Island eventually made its way out of the mountains, and into the ears of curious folk around the province. And that’s when things really began to change, fast.

Larch Island: A Story Walk
  1. A Note About the Animals
  2. Crossing the Bridge
  3. The Tree of Safe Travels
  4. Stop One
  5. Stop Two
  6. Stop Three
  7. Stop Four
  8. Stop Five
  9. Stop Six
  10. Stop Seven