The elevator seen here, the tallest thing for kilometres around, sits at a farm north of Fort MacLeod Alberta. An old building, some says it dates from the 1910s, the current owners think the 1920s, the structure was moved here, from a nearby town, way back in the 1970s. What a sight and what a project that must have been. The people who own it, the Vandervalks, use it to store grain before it heads to market.
The building is rather interesting in that it’s the last Bawlf Company elevator (the firm that originally built it) left in the province. The old Bawlf lettering, if you are close to it and look hard, can still be seen on the building’s side. Now that’s amazing!
Update: December 2014. This first trip we viewed the building from afar, but in July 2014 we were invited by the elevator’s owners to tour the old building up close and personal (a wish come true). To see that report, to read a lot more about the building’s history and to view its inner workings, follow this link… Prairie Sentinels – Woodhouse Alberta – Vandervalk Farm.
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found.
If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: June, 2013. Location: Fort MacLeod, AB.
For some, this one really speaks to me. I drove up to the farm house and they were more than happy to let me take some up close pictures of the elevator.
The Legion Hall and Monarch Garage, Loverna Saskatchewan, early 1990s (not 1970s as shown) and the same view in 2017. There's not much going on in Loverna these days, but long ago it was a very active and vibrant community. This was shot between takes while working on the Telus Documentary "Forgotten Prairie" by Rueben Tschetter.
Check the comments for more information. Original image thanks to and copyright Philip Brown.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
It's no secret Team BIGDoer is Boler obsessed but we're actually not owners, funny as it sounds. We can only dream and you know if we could, we would. The only thing holding us back from buying one, like the nice example seen here, is the cash to actually make the purchase and a proper vehicle to haul it around. Other than that, we're good to go!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2021. Posted by Connie.
When exploring old farm properties, we always check out any nearby low lying areas or coulees. In case they hold any treasures. Jackpot! This is usually where farmers dumped retired old cars and equipment no longer needed. Out of sight, out of mind.
This car's a little more special than usual and is an uncommon post-WW2 Nash. A 600 we believe, but we're not the greatest at this. Scroll down to the comments to see a closer look and a comparison shot of a restored example.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2014. Posted by Connie.
While on the subject of old Hotels and the Beer Parlour Project, here's Len, proprietor of the Elk River Inn (aka the Hoz) in Hosmer BC back in 2022. It's one of the first places visited by our group and sadly, we just found out the fellow passed away a few months back. This image was shot on film with an old-fashioned view camera.
During the interview Chris mistakenly called it the Elk Valley Inn and got an earful from Len. He was such a character and with an infectious dry wit! With his passing the business closed and we're not sure what the future holds in store. Look for a bonus photo of him in the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
The Beer Parlour Project will be on the road this coming weekend and up by Edmonton. Team BIGDoer and photographer Rob Pohl, with his big view camera, are visiting the Warspite Hotel, Warspite Alberta the evening of April 12th and the Viking Hotel in Viking Alberta on the 13th.
We'll get to know some history, interview local characters and old timers, down a few chicken wings and with our cameras capture a little slice of Canadiana. These businesses are a throwback to another time and we're chronicling as many as we can while they're still here. It's 12 down with maybe a 100 to go.
If you're in the area, drop by and chat! Watch for the Beer Parlour Project Website coming soon.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photos: 2023 (Coleman Grand Union Coleman AB & traditional Beer Parlour glasses). Posted by Connie.
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For some, this one really speaks to me. I drove up to the farm house and they were more than happy to let me take some up close pictures of the elevator.
Fantastic, when I am in the area I’ll drop in and ask as well.