Before there was a Calgary, before there was a fort, and long before anyone dreamed of vehicles, roads or railways, people already knew exactly how to get here. 

At this installment of Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History, naturalist, author, and public historian David Finch invites you to travel back 300 years to discover why five ancient trails all led to the place we now call The Confluence. These carefully chosen routes connected people, landscapes, and cultures long before modern maps existed. 

This isn’t your typical history lecture. Join us as we sketch maps by hand, compare what we think we know with what the land has always known, and uncover the geography that made this place one of the most important gathering places on the prairies. Streets, rivers, parks, and neighbourhoods will reveal stories that have been hiding in plain sight for centuries. 

Come for the hot dogs, stay for the realization that Google Maps is only about 300 years late to the party.