In 2023, the Town of Innisfail will celebrate 120 years since its incorporation on November 20, 1903. In our on-going series of posts acknowledging our rich history, we’ll be sharing some significant aspects of the town’s history throughout the months leading up to November.
Anthony Henday was one of the first Europeans to come to the area that is now Innisfail.
After working as a Hudson’s Bay Company laborer at Fort York, Henday volunteered to travel to the western interior of the company’s fur trading region. The expedition’s purpose was to convince indigenous trappers to trade with posts on Hudson Bay.
After brief survey training, Henday left Fort York on June 26, 1754. By fall, Henday and his guides reached a point where lnnisfail stands today. Henday is said to be the first European to write an account of the Rocky Mountains and is attributed with the quote: “Behold, the shining mountains”.
