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Num-Ti-Jah Lodge is the dream of the remarkable Simpson
family.
Our story begins with a wild, red-haired 19 year old named
Jimmy Simpson who left England for Canada in 1896. He
was to become the legendary outfitter known as the last
and greatest of the Canadian mountain men. He guided scientists,
mountaineers, big game hunters and artists through the
little-explored Rocky mountains. His wild character, quick
wit, and tall tales of the trail made him one of Canada's
most eccentric pioneers.
When Jimmy Simpson camped at Bow Lake in 1898, he vowed
that one day he would "build a shack here". Twenty-five
years later he began building the first log cabin on the
site and had a permanent base for his outfitting tours.
He called his operation Num-Ti-Jah, a Stoney Plain word
for pine marten, a small animal similar to a sable.
In 1937, the Banff-Jasper highway was completed as far
as Bow Lake. Jimmy, his wife Billie and their children
Margaret, Mary and Jimmy jr. began expanding on the original
dream of a "shack". With the earnings from Margaret and
Mary's professional ice-skating tours, the building of
Num-Ti-Jah Lodge began. In 1940, the Lodge had six guest
rooms. By 1950, a beautiful log and stone hotel with 25
rooms stood on the shores of Bow Lake.
In the fifties and sixties, Jimmy Simpson's reputation
attracted tourists keen to hear his stories. While Jimmy
became a living legend, his son took charge of the Num-Ti-Jah
operation. Jimmy jr. has his own mountain stories from
an outfitting career that spanned thirty-five years ending
in 1974, two years after his father died. Although he
retired from managing Num-Ti-Jah Lodge in 1996, with his
remarkable memory, he is the keeper of the old tales of
Bow Lake.
Num-Ti-Jah Lodge hasn't changed much since it was completed
in 1950. What you'll see and feel here is the dream of
the Simpson family. We invite you to learn our story.
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