If you visit Banff National Park, you will notice that the two most used names in the area are Banff and Bow. I often wonder about where locations get their names, so I did a little research. Let's start with Banff. The town was initially built in the early 1880's after the transcontinental railway was built through the Bow Valley. In 1884, the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway named the area and town Banff after his birthplace in Banff, Scotland. In 1885, Canada created a reserve of the area and named it Rocky Mountain Park, and it became a cornerstone of Canada's National Park System. It was later renamed Banff National Park.
The name Bow is also omnipresent in the area. It's name is attached to many of nature's most beautiful sights, such as the Bow Valley, Bow Lake, Bow River and Bow Falls (pictured here). The name's origin is more related to the area, as the name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks, which were used by the local Indian tribes to make bows.
Regardless of how these natural beauties were named, one thing is for sure. They are something to behold.