Lake
Louise, unincorporated place, southwestern Alberta, Canada.
It is located on the Bow River in Banff National Park,
immediately northeast of the icy blue-green lake of the same name, which
is renowned for its scenic beauty. Originally settled in 1884 as a Canadian
Pacific Railway construction camp, it was known as Holt City and later
Laggan until renamed in 1914 for the lake, which had been discovered in 1882 by guide Tom Wilson, who named it Emerald
Lake. It was later renamed to honour Princess Louise, daughter of Queen
Victoria and wife of the marquess of Lorne (governor-general of Canada,
1878–83).
Since 1892, when the Lake Louise area was added to
Banff National Park, the settlement has been administered by various government
agencies. It is a famous tourist resort and recreation centre (notably for
hiking, mountain climbing, and skiing), made accessible by its location at
the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway (east-west) and the
Icefields Parkway (north-south).
The lake, at an elevation of 5,680 feet (1,731
metres), springs from Victoria Glacier on Mount Victoria, which rises above the
western end of the lake. It extends northeastward from there for about 1.5
miles (2.4 km) and is about 0.75 mile (1.2 km) wide at its broadest point. The
lake reaches a depth of more than 220 feet (70 metres).
