Fonds F0446 - Canadian Hostelling Association fonds

The Canadian Youth Hostels Association originated in Alberta in 1933 when a group of Calgary women, led by Mary and Catherine Barclay, established North America's first youth hostel at Bragg Creek. The first president was Donald Cameron, and the first secretary Mary Barclay. The association grew and spread across the country, and forms part of an international network which provides accommodation at modest cost to young travellers. The national office was in Calgary from 1933 to 1941. It was subsequently moved to Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, and since 1971 has again been in Ottawa. In 1976 the name was changed to the Canadian Hostelling Association. In 2011 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designated the establishment of the Bragg Creek Hostel as a National Historic Event.

For a detailed administrative history see Fifty Years of Canadian Hostelling / Canadian Hostelling Association. - Calgary : Detselig Enterprises, 1988. In 2004 the Southern Alberta and British Columbia regions merged and their offices consolidated in Vancouver. In 2008 the Northern Alberta office in Edmonton closed and its functions were also assumed by Vancouver.