My aunt and uncle farmed just out side of town there for generations. They have since passed, but as a child I remember visiting the farm many times and going to the little town. Good memories! Thank you for sharing your stories and pictures!
I hope that a few of these elevators can be saved as historic resources, they should not all pass away quietly. I would like to see the railway lines rehabilitated as trail systems such as the Trans-Canada or the Slocan Valley.
Excellent. Wonder why they’d go through all the trouble to paint out the ‘Alberta Wheat Pool’ (with paint that’s not even close) vs. just leaving it the way it is as a nod to history?
Can’t help but think down the road that we’re all going to *really* regret that so many miles of railroad have been ripped out.
Thanks! If the firm sells an elevator, as was done here, the sign had to be painted out as part of the deal. Yes, so many lines lost. Hundreds of them across the Canadian Plains.
My wife was the bank manager in Arrowwood for 10 years. She saw the tracks go and heard the lamentations that went with it. So sad to see. A once bustling little village that’s barely hanging on….
I love your photo sets but ones like these, I have to admit, make me sad. We give up on so much in the name of profit. I often wonder if we’ll wake up one day wondering where it has all gone and why we were in such a rush to get rid of it.
Yes, we’ve been neglecting them. We have however shot a whole bunch recently that will be published soon. And there’s even more in the planning stages. We won’t let you down!
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.
Javascript is required for this site to function. Please enable it in your browser settings and refresh this page.
Please log-in to continue... This allows unrestricted access to every post @BIGDoer.com, popups are eliminated, commenting is on and the "contact us" page is enabled.
Your social site may send you a routine notice of login.
Or signup, here: Subscriber Register ___ BIGDoer.com: Serving up POP HISTORY & other McFun!…(Mmmm, yummy bite-sized pieces.) One million plus words & tens of thousands of photos!
My aunt and uncle farmed just out side of town there for generations. They have since passed, but as a child I remember visiting the farm many times and going to the little town. Good memories! Thank you for sharing your stories and pictures!
Such amazing memories and glad you liked the piece!
I hope that a few of these elevators can be saved as historic resources, they should not all pass away quietly. I would like to see the railway lines rehabilitated as trail systems such as the Trans-Canada or the Slocan Valley.
Some have been saved. But given how many there used to be, it’s not many. Thanks for commenting!
Excellent. Wonder why they’d go through all the trouble to paint out the ‘Alberta Wheat Pool’ (with paint that’s not even close) vs. just leaving it the way it is as a nod to history?
Can’t help but think down the road that we’re all going to *really* regret that so many miles of railroad have been ripped out.
Thanks! If the firm sells an elevator, as was done here, the sign had to be painted out as part of the deal. Yes, so many lines lost. Hundreds of them across the Canadian Plains.
Nice to see the elevator is still there… and in that colour!
AWP Blue does look nice but we’re particularly fond of the old mineral brown scheme the most.
A very sad “Then & Now”!
Agree, all those other elevators gone. The railway gone. These small towns have lost so much.
Thanks for sharing! So sad that the sentinels of the Prairies are slowly disappearing.
And one day, inventively I’m afraid, they’ll all be gone. So much rural history being lost.
Very important imagery, especially when taken from the same spot.
It really drives home the change. Here, now gone.
Chauvin had that many at one time now we have none.
So many towns like that I’m afraid. Once there were thousands of grain elevators, now so few, with more falling each year.
Great pictures Chris! Wouldn’t it be nice to have tracks back into Arrowwood. It would be great to work with the community.
Thanks Don! I know, the end of track is already so close to town. Just a small section put in would do it.
My wife was the bank manager in Arrowwood for 10 years. She saw the tracks go and heard the lamentations that went with it. So sad to see. A once bustling little village that’s barely hanging on….
Arrowwood, sadly, like so many small prairie villages, seems on a downward spiral. Thanks for sharing this memory of the town!
Love the prairie areas. Grain elevators can be seen for miles.
Yes, and the elevators of the next town could be seen from the town you were in. They were everywhere once!
I love your photo sets but ones like these, I have to admit, make me sad. We give up on so much in the name of profit. I often wonder if we’ll wake up one day wondering where it has all gone and why we were in such a rush to get rid of it.
Yes, there is this mindset, among many, that anything old is no good and must be done away with. That’s too bad.
So sad losing them—
Yes, but in time all things must go. It makes it no less sad, however.
Great post! Where’s the then and nows? Haven’t seen many lately.
Yes, we’ve been neglecting them. We have however shot a whole bunch recently that will be published soon. And there’s even more in the planning stages. We won’t let you down!
Used to deliver grain here!
Awesome!
Worked the Lomond Sub between 1984 to 1985.A great time was had by all!
Would love to hear your stories!
(via Facebook)
I like the first photo better.
You, I and everyone else can agree on that!