The valley's first visitors found rich resources and sheltered wintering grounds for cattle, which became ranch land in the mid-1890s. Only the railroad track and twin bridges intruded on this pastoral landscape until 1911. John Hextall, entrepreneur and visionary, registered subdivision plans in 1911 that became the framework for the village and town of Bowness. Hextall's ambitious plans faded with the start of World War I, and the land sat vacant until after World War II when a settlement for veterans was established. At that time, many Dutch and German immigrants also moved to the area. The Bowness community quickly grew into a village in 1948, then became a town in 1952, and finally became part of the City of Calgary in 1964.

• Richter, Ken. The History of Bowness.
• Pollhaus, Inga and Carole Carpenter. 2005. Bowness: Our Village in the Valley.Calgary: Bowness Community Association.
• Pollhaus, Inga and Carole Carpenter. 2012. Bowness: Past and Present, 1911-2011. Calgary:  Bowness Community Association.
• Bowness Historical Society.
• Wikipedia. Bowness, Calgary.
• Calgary Public Library. Bowness: Our Village in the Valley. Bowness: Past and Present, 1911-2011
• Calgary Herald 1994 Walking Tour of Bowness (Take the tour and see what's changed!)