Canadian Youth Hostels Association

On 13 May 1933, Mary and Catherine Barclay and a few friends pitched a large canvas tent in Bragg Creek, Alberta to serve as a safe, affordable place to stay for young hikers enjoying the outdoors at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. They soon established a permanent home for the hostel nearby. The energetic and dedicated Barclay sisters were pioneers in the youth hostelling movement in Canada and founded the Canadian Youth Hostels Association in the 1930s. In the 1940s, its success led to the creation of a network of such facilities, offering opportunities for independent, adventurous travel.

Youth hostelling began in the early 20^th century in Germany as an early form of informal outdoor education, and quickly spread to other countries in the 1920s and 1930s. An inexpensive and safe option for travellers, youth hostels became spaces for young people to meet and share their lives. In the early decades of the youth hostel movement, nature and outdoor living were emphasized, as was a communal mindset, with daily chores, a shared kitchen, and the closure of the hostel during the day. These ideas would inspire hostelling movement in Canada.

Mary and Catherine Barclay were outdoor enthusiasts who enjoyed pursuing wilderness activities with their friends. Having developed contacts with the British Youth Hostels Association, they came up with the idea of starting a youth hostel at Bragg Creek. They set up their canvas tent on the property of Ida May White, and furnished it with cots and apple-box crate cupboards. The first season was a success, and the operation grew when the sisters later created a permanent home for the hostel in a cabin on Thomas Fullerton’s nearby property. Following the opening of the youth hostel in Bragg Creek, the Barclay sisters formed the Canadian Youth Hostels Association. Although it began as a small regional group, it would become the leader of the youth hostel movement in Canada. With great dedication, the Barclays tirelessly advocated in support of youth hostelling on behalf of the organization, attracting influential supports and volunteers. In the 1930s, other youth hostels linking Bragg Creek with Canmore and Banff opened, as did hostels elsewhere in the country, resulting in a network of hostels for young travellers.

Largely in response to Canada’s centennial celebrations in 1967, hostels were increasingly established in urban locales and were opened to people of all ages. Yet the spirit of the hostelling movement remains largely as the Barclays defined it in 1934, “to enable youth to find wholesome companionship...travelling inexpensively, and acquiring a knowledge of their neighbour’s land and customs...”