Bill Peyto


Ebenezer William "Bill" Peyto was a pioneer, mountain guide, and early park warden of the Banff National Park. As a guide, Peyto was chosen to lead Edward Whymper to Vermilion Pass. His large photograph prominently marks the entrance to the town of Banff, Alberta. Peyto Glacier on the Continental Divide and Peyto Lake are named in his honour.
Peyto lived in England before immigrating to Canada, arriving in February, 1887, to find his way to the Canadian Rocky Mountains where he initially worked as a railway labourer. By the mid-1890s Peyto had built a small log cabin close to the Bow River where he kept his outfitting and trapping gear.
Peyto worked as a park warden in the Banff National Park from 1913 until his retirement in 1936, with his duties interrupted by his service in the First World War.

Military service