Lawrence Grassi was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A working-class man of humble Italian origins who worked as a labourer and a coal miner for most of his life, Grassi had a deep passion for the Rocky Mountains.
Lawrence Grassi (born Andrea Lorenzo Grassi Dec 20 1890-died February 5 1980) immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1912 and began working for the Canadian Pacific Railway before settling in the Bow Valley in 1916.
He worked as a coal miner in Canmore until he retired at age 65. He then took up the post of Assistant Warden at Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park where he lived by the lakeshore in the warden's cabin for 5 summers from 1956-1960.
Grassi became well known for his passion for the Rocky Mountains and spent much of his spare time mountain climbing and carving out trails, such as the original steps that take visitors to the aquamarine water of Grassi Lakes, and many more paths around Lake O'Hara (Lake Oesa), Lake Louise, Bragg Creek, Banff, Skoki and Canmore.
Banff’s Jon Whyte, author, broadcaster, publisher and museum curator, describes Grassi’s trail building in his book, Tommy and Lawrence – The Ways and the Trails of Lake O’Hara: ‘With wheelbarrow, prod pole, mattock, crowbar, shovel, spade and muscle, Lawrence singlehandedly made a path out of the materials at hand, heaving flat-faced rocks of a hundred kilograms or more into place …In the middle section, where the trail steepens, he lifted forty or fifty rocks that must have weighed more than he did and built wide, substantial staircases ….We may be in awe of the achievement of the pyramids; we should be in equal awe of Lawrence’s accomplishment, for on the Nile’s edge two or three hundred workers heaved a stone in the cool Egyptian winter, but Lawrence worked alone.’
There are many places in the valley that were named for Lawrence Grassi including the aforementioned Grassi Lakes, Mount Lawrence Grassi, Grassi Knob and our very own Lawrence Grassi Middle School.
As noted by Chic Scott, author of Pushing the Limits – The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, Grassi’s first ascents include Eisenhower Tower on Castle Mountain, the southeast face of Mount Geikie, and the First Sister above Canmore. Grassi made the first solo ascent of Mount Assiniboine – ‘on a weekend outing from Canmore!’ and climbed Banff’s iconic Mount Louis 32 times. He ‘is reported to have made five guided ascents of Mount Sir Donald in five days at an Alpine Club of Canada camp,’ Scott writes.
We are proud to have our school named for this amazing Trailblazer!