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Banff, Alberta, Canada: Merman - Indian Trading Post

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
101 Cave Avenue, Banff, AB, Canada
Directions:
Banff Indian Trading Post gift shop next to the Luxton Museum. Birch and Cave Aves.
Phone:
403-762-2456
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Merman - Indian Trading Post

Plenty of tourist junk at this century-old trading post, but don't miss the rare half-man, half-fish creature on display.

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Visitor Tips and News About Merman - Indian Trading Post

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Merman

This Merman was purchased, I believe, in 1908 from Japan (original receipt in a local museum). It is currently on display at the Trading Post gift shop next to the Luxton Museum. It belonged to Norman Luxton.

[Susan Warrender, 01/15/2001]
Banff Merman

There's a merman displayed in a glass case little souvenir shop just over the bridge and on the right in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Banff is a world class ski resort and Canadian National Park. I first saw it in 1967. Front half looks like the skeleton of a monkey, complete with torso, arms and hands, while the back half is a fish body. The souvenir shop also has a mounted jackalope on display.

[Pierre Chenier, 12/19/1999]

Fun Fact: Our own Mike Wilkins escorted his lovely bride to the Canuck Merman's haunt on his honeymoon.

Banff Merman

Did you know that there is also a Merman in Banff, Alberta? The Banff Merman is tucked away in the back of a rather creepy-like souvenir store in a part of town that is hard to get to, so I was the only person I knew who had seen it. (Banff is an overpriced tourist trap of a town, and the Merman is easily the best part. I love the changing expressions on people's faces -- from horror to repulsion to bewilderment -- when they get their first glimpse o'the Merman). Canada is full of bizarre crap! You should check us out!

[Gengale, 04/03/1999]
Merman

We visited Banff, Canada in July ('97) and had our first sighting of a Merman at the Indian Trader post. It was in the backroom in a glass case (kinda lost in the piles of Indian blankets and "artifacts"). Had the story of the Merman of "that" area. Pretty sad.... Anyway, they also sported postcards of the Merman in their possession.

[Mac Lewis, 09/04/1997]

Nearby Offbeat Places

$2 Million Outhouse$2 Million Outhouse, Banff, AB, Canada - 6 mi.
The Big HeadThe Big Head, Canmore, AB, Canada - 11 mi.
World's Largest Wooden PaddleWorld's Largest Wooden Paddle, Parson, BC, Canada - 51 mi.
In the region:
Spider Beetle, Calgary, AB, Canada - 65 mi.

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