The subject for this movie then and now is the 1985 flick Journey of Natty Gann. Specifically we look the brief “old road” scene, which was shot in the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta. In it we see the two main characters during their cross-country trek and we return to that same location, some thirty years later, to check out what things look like today.
And has anything changed? Pretty much no, and as it was in the film is much as it appears today.
This is our first Natty Gann then and now, but you can expect more to come. Many scenes from that motion picture were shot in “The Pass”, a place we visit quite often.
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The location seen here is the old Highway #3 alignment near Emerald Lake (just to the left and out of view) a few kilometres east of the BC border. This troublesome section of road was bypassed in the 1970s. It was prone rock fall – just look at all the boulders that have fallen from above since the movie was shot – and given its shaded location and the presence of many springs in those precipitous cliffs, it tended to ice over in the winter.
The new section of road is located just behind our photography position.
Natty Gann, a Disney Production, is not a terribly well known movie. It’s quite enjoyable though, if not a bit overly sentimental and syrupy sweet. We liked it and not just because it was shot in areas we’re so well familiar with. It follows the adventures of its namesake character, played by Meredith Salenger, as she travels the “American West” (most scenes were in fact shot in Canada) during the great depression, in search of her father who has been working in lumber camps out west. She is accompanied by a friend and fellow drifter, plated by John Cusak.
Stay tuned for more Natty Gann then and now posts. We shot several others the same time as this one which will soon become posts of their own.
That part of the road ,water would spray out from mountain ,it was cold and so fresh. Lovely on a hot day. Natty Gann was a good fanily movie. I was an extra in the movie. Was fun
I’ve seen water gushing out of that cave and other openings. Very cool indeed (freezing in fact). Love that movie and it’s so interesting you were a part of it.
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
When retired old railway cars usually get cut up for scrap. Sometimes, however, they find their way into the hands of the general public or whomever. Flat cars make good bridges, and boxcars can be transformed into storage buildings and the like. Case in point here. We see them used like this often enough and in this case, it's part of a corral.
Incidentally, this boxcar dates from 1950 and this was found by tracing the old road number, which is still visible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
This central Alberta racetrack was never a commercial operation but instead just a fun place for car enthusiasts in the area to get together. Early '70s or thereabouts and it only lasted a few years. Even thought it's been abandoned for that long, there is no doubt what was here.
You know we like the the obscure stuff and this one fits the bill perfectly. Found by accident while backroad cruising and the history comes thanks to local car guy Mike.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
On top of little Myrtle Mountain in the Kimberley (BC) Nature Park.
There's some good wilderness fun to be had here and nice views as you can see, but the real reason we came is mining history. The whole area near the ski hill was extensively worked over a century ago and we were looking for evidence of this. We didn't find much in the area searched, but it's a big chunk of property and we hope to return to cover more ground again soon. Of all the subjects we cover, mining related is a favourite.
Still, it was a good hike and that can't be bad. Look to the comments for more info 👇.
Exploring nature and history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
It's a strange curiosity in south Kananaskis, there on a hillside and we have no idea who created it. We asked around and no one's completely sure about its history. In the past it showed the Canada 100 logo from 1967 but in 2017 someone changed it to reflect the country's 150th.
That's our friend Emily from DanOCan.com having a look.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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I have the movie too. I was an extra.
Heard from a lots of people from the Pass who were extras as kids.
That part of the road ,water would spray out from mountain ,it was cold and so fresh. Lovely on a hot day. Natty Gann was a good fanily movie. I was an extra in the movie. Was fun
I’ve seen water gushing out of that cave and other openings. Very cool indeed (freezing in fact). Love that movie and it’s so interesting you were a part of it.
My dad’s old Ford A was used in some scenes! vehicle now belongs to Dale Case in Okotoks, AB!!
That’s blinkin’ awesome!
Remember that road well from my childhood.
Everyone seems to remember the road. It was a memorable ride with all those big cliffs above, and that steep drop to the water on the opposite side.
Hey, I ‘ve had a Geocache hidden very close to that spot for the last seven years.
I’ll have to go looking for it…