HISTORY
Our Lodge was initiated in 1888, and has been meeting since then. Originally located in Anthracite (a small mining town between Banff and Canmore) the Lodge was known as Cascade Lodge # 42 of the Grand Registry of Manitoba (Alberta not yet a province). The Lodge moved to Banff from 1892 until 1897 when it returned to Anthracite. In the early days of the Lodge, meetings were often held in different locations amongst the surrounding mountains. One such meeting was held in 1901 at Tunnel Mountain. In 2001, members and guests of the Lodge climbed Tunnel Mountain to commemorate the passage of 100 years of the 1901 meeting. To see a picture from 1901 click here; and to see a picture from 2001 click here:
From 1901 to 1905, the population
of Anthracite all but disappeared and in 1905 the Lodge relocated to
Banff. On October 12, 1905, the last meeting of Cascade Lodge # 42 was
held and on November 23, 1905, the first meeting of Cascade Lodge # 5 of the
Grand Lodge of Alberta was held.
Our present Lodge was constructed in 1924 and was first used in February 1925. It was designed by architect James A. MacDonald of Calgary and built by Arthur Unwin of Banff. The present Lodge has been in use as a Masonic Lodge for over 80 years.
Many of Banff's most notable citizens have served as the Worshipful Master of the Lodge since it was chartered in 1888 (Grand Lodge of Manitoba 1888 - 1905; Grand Lodge of Alberta 1905 - present). These include W.H. McCardell, T.E. Wilson, P.A. Moore, J.I. Brewster, S.J. Unwin, W. Warren, L.S. Crosby, E.J. Langridge, H.A. Gourlay, T.H. Lonsdale and F.A. Gourlay. Dr. R.G. Brett was also a Lodge member. (To see a complete list of Past Masters, please click here.) Affiliated organizations associated with the Lodge have been the Order of the Eastern Star, Royal Arch Masons and the Banff Shrine Club. The Lodge was the center of social activity in the town for many years being that most of the hotels would close for the winter season and it was one of the largest buildings in town.
The Lodge meets on the second Thursday of each month, except July and August.