1867 | July 1: British North America Act: four provinces join to form Canada |
| 1870 | Canada acquires the Northwest Territories |
| 1871 | British Columbia joins Canada on the promise made by Sir John A. Macdonald to link B.C. to the rest of Canada by railroad within 10 years Sir Sandford Fleming preliminary survey of the railway routes: 7 possible destinations on the Pacific coast |
| 1876 | Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduces his “National Policy”, including a series of tariffs on imported goods and a renewed focus on a national railway |
| 1880 | October 21: Contract for the completion of the Pacific Railway is signed |
| 1881 | February 15: Canadian Pacific Railway is officially incorporated; search for an alternative passage through the Rocky Mountains begins May 29: Discovery of the Rogers Pass |
| 1884 | Railway reaches Kicking Horse Pass |
| 1885 | North West Rebellion November 7: Last spike at Craigellachie, B.C.; the CPR is officially finished |
| 1886 | CPR builds Field Hotel (later renamed Mount Stephen House) and receives its first guests in the summer July 4: The first passenger train from Montreal/Toronto arrives in Monroe, B.C. Creation of Mount Stephen Dominion Reserve on October 10 Summer: First collections from the Trilobite Beds CPR publishes first tourist pamphlet |
| 1888 | Charles Walcott’s first publication on fossils from the area |
| 1892 | Whiteaves publication of Anomalocaris canadensis from the Trilobite Beds |
| 1897 | First excursion by the German-Austrian Alpine Club up the Yoho valley |
| 1899 | June: First arrival of Swiss guides |
| 1901 | Mount Stephen Dominion Reserve is renamed Yoho National Park |
| 1902 | CPR builds two log cabins on the shore of Emerald Lake |
| 1906 | March 27: Creation of the Alpine Club of Canada; first annual camp at Yoho Pass in July |
| 1907 | Walcott’s visits the Trilobite Beds |
| 1908 | Walcott publishes an account of his discoveries in the Canadian Alpine Journal |
| 1909 | Walcott’s discovery of the Burgess Shale; Spiral Tunnels are completed replacing the Big Hill |
