Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site of Canada

The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station was declared a national historic site of Canada in 1982 because of:

• its role in the Canadian contribution to the International Geophysical Year 1957-58.

The heritage value of Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station lies in its location, the legibility of its remains, and their association with an important worldwide scientific phenomenon. The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station was one of nine Canadian monitoring stations built in 1956-57 to meet Canada’s commitment to the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 organized by the International Council of Scientific Unions. Situated at an altitude of 2383 metres, it became Canada’s most important cosmic ray observatory, contributing to our understanding of how the sun effects the earth’s environment. Its sponsor and initial occupant was the National Research Council of Canada, although the University of Calgary assumed operation of the laboratory from 1960-1978. During this period, the size of the original building was expanded to accommodate an upgrade of its monitoring equipment. Once the station closed, both the building and its equipment were removed in 1981.