Beachwood Estates

The community of Beachwood Estates, High River Alberta, is doomed. It has been for a while. Once vibrant and full of life, the place is now empty, every last soul forced to move away. The boulevards are quiet, the dwellings quiet, nothing but total silence and come nightfall, total darkness. In the coming months, the many fine homes found here will be moved out or demolished, the streets torn up and the land given back to nature. Soon enough, it’ll be as it once was.

The lesson here…I guess building atop a flood plain is not such a good idea.

Tag along as we take a tour. We’ll hit the pavement, channelling Heston’s “Omega Man” character, soaking up all the strange emptiness in places where there should be people, but isn’t. We’ll capture everything in its blessed entirety, as it is, before the “machinery that brings destruction” arrives a couple weeks hence. A snapshot of Beachwood Estates, in all its glory, before it’s gone. Here, on the wrong side of the wall. Does it hold title as the “Creepiest Neighborhood in the World”? Only if your name is “Seph Lawless”!* For us, it seemed nothing short of idyllic and peaceful. No Walking Dead were seen.

Beachwood Estates: a done-for neighbourhood that perhaps should have never been built. Researched, Written and Photographed by Chris Doering and Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd/Canada.com)

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Beachwood (sometimes Beechwood, in error) dates from the late 1980s/early 1990s and is at the far western edge of High River. The land around is well treed, the Highwood River perhaps half a click or so to the north. Houses are estate style, large, of mixed design following no particular style philosophy, but all generally pleasing in appearance (there’s a couple stinkers). Each is on a good sized plot of land. Streets are wide, most houses being located on cul-de-sacs. The main road follows historic MacLeod Trail.

Nature abounds, a pastoral setting if there ever was one, and no doubt a fine place to live in the day. If not for the river, often a pussycat, but with the potential for trouble, it’d be damn near perfect. History confirms, that waterway has an ugly side.

Flood Wall High River

Beachwood Estates in back, on the wrong side of the “Trump Wall”.

Once in a while, every couple/few decades or so, when the snow pack in the mountains is particularly high and melts quickly, it sends down a torrent of water. This liquid bulldozer takes out everything in its way. Flood plains, those flat gravely expanses, treed belts of land on either side of the Highwood look pretty tranquil. But come high water, anything on them, like says houses, houses like those in Beachwood Estates, well, they’re done for. Welcome to a world of soaked basements, structural damage, ruined possessions, mould and mud. Not pretty!

Scroll down for more photos and to comment.

Everyone knew the potential, everyone knew it’d happen…one day…some day. Heads in the sand by those who lived here? Perhaps. Ditto for those who developed the place? No, just greed. An inept local government that allowed it to happen? Yes, if you believe the people we spoke with.

Sure enough, in 2013, the river let loose and the neighbourhood flooded. Badly. In fact much of the town was under water. A fix was needed.

Plans were soon put in place to build an earthen berm around much of High River, the parts south of the waterway most susceptible to future flooding. For reasons not fully explained to this author, Beachwood Estates (jokingly called Wetwood or Wetfeet Estates by those we spoke with), was not in the plans, the people living there given one option…hit the road Jack! This was after most had already fixed up their places.

Fast forward to 2017, Beachwood Estates is now in no-man’s land on the wrong side of the “Trump Wall” (so love calling it that) and devoid of residents. Entry is only by foot, the place being blocked off from the rest of town by that massive berm and any other roads in from the south gated and closed off.

The flood wall, by the way, is not without controversy. Ask the locals. We did. Worries are it’ll act like a huge cistern, keeping water in, should it ever be breached. Thought that very thing myself before ever chatting to anyone about it.

Back to the story…the houses, now vacant, were put up for auction, the stipulation they be moved away afterwards. The bidding was slow to begin, but near the end got hot and heavy for some properties (of some 30 in total). The lowest house went for $30k, the highest a cool quarter million and some change. Keep in mind, these places in their prime, pre-2013, were valued at $800k to one million for most.

Those that bid highest have a certain time to get the houses off of the property. Moving costs, it’s estimated could be $50-$100k or more, depending on distance and other factors. Then, remember, a new foundation needs to be waiting at the other end. That will cost!

While it seems like these places could be had for bargain prices, one has to question the additional costs involved and if in the end it’s worth it. That foundation mentioned before, land to put it on, damage from being moved, perhaps hidden damage from the flood? What’s the real cost? Imagine some people will snap out of their post-auction high and realize, it may not be worth it. Any houses not moved within a certain time will be demolished with the bidders loosing their deposits. Streets and infrastructure will then be torn up and the whole place allowed to revert back to nature. There should be zero signs of Beachwood Estates come this time next year, if not sooner. It’ll be but a memory.

BIGDoer.com visited Beachwood Estates twice, the second on the final day of bidding. Was sort of expecting it to be busy both times, doubly so for number two. You know with everyone getting in a last look, curious what the fuss was about, eyeing up what they planed to purchase and so on. But it was strangely quiet. That one has to walk in up and over the flood wall, sometimes through mud and snow, I guess kept most away. It wasn’t trespassing to walk the streets, by the way, but each property was off limits (we got permission anyway). Once the remediation begins this could change and everything might be a no-go zone, for a time anyway. Then I suspect it’ll become a recreational green space.

We asked if we could get inside some of the most interesting houses but were told no, we could only view the exteriors. And then, only if we behaved ourselves. Us, trouble? The houses are vacant so I suppose there was not much to see in them anyway. Still, it would have fun.

It felt rather strange walking the neighbourhood. The streets were cleared of snow, ditto for the sidewalks. The houses looked occupied. Vandals had not really made a mark. It looked alive. At least before night fell. Fully expecting someone to step out of a house, jump in their car and drive away. Fully expected to see a Purolator Van drop off a delivery, or a pizza a guy so similar. Fully expected to see residents out walking dogs…kids out playing…people. But there was nothing.

Beachwood Estates

House here date from the late ’80s/early ’90s.

Strange and weird, perhaps a tad spooky, there’s a bundle of emotions all swirling about and of course deep sadness. All the memories from all the families that resided here, done. Dreams, lost. Fine homes, gone. Thanks for the good times, it was nice knowing you. RIP Beachwood Estates, 1990ish–2017.

We’ve made an attempt to reach out to some building mover to document one of these homes being taken away. We’d love to see it happen, document it, and I bet our readers would be into it too. So far we’ve not heard back from any. But you never know…

Joining us for the second visit was fellow camera jockey Byron Robb. Always love to hang with like minded types, those who get it, that it’s far more about the experience and good times than it is the photos that come of it. Good pictures are the icing. The fun is where the real memories are made.

* “Seph Lawless”, pseudonym, real name “Joseph Melendez” according to the Daily Mail and Internet Movie Database, a photojournalist and self proclaimed “King of all Urbex” (exploring abandoned and decrepit stuff in urban environments). He also wrote a piece on Beachwood Estates, many weeks after ours, btw, not well done, rife with spelling mistakes, factual errors and down right blatant fabrications. This ignited a firestorm of controversy. He went on to piss off most of High River Alberta, we got swept up into the melee unwillingly (guess he had a meltdown over our article stealing some of his thunder) and for the better part of a month he and his army of “sockpuppets” (social media “supporters” like “McKee Chel” that are actually he) went on a campaign of harassment through multiple channels. The attacks were not only against Chris & Connie personally but also many of our friends and associates. Really nasty hurtful stuff too – his “MO” as it turns out.

Only a call to the police in his jurisdiction, in Cleveland Ohio, stopped it. For a time anyway. Every now and then Mr Lawless (Joe Melendez, recall) reminds us he’s still around. Once per month or two, give or take, he loudly threatens Team BIGDoer (he often calls us “Butthurt Joe” – WTF?), with a “lolsuit”, a lawsuit of such ridiculous proportions that it’s not just laughable, but laughable to the point of peeing your pants. He says he’ll take our house in a judgement, then never does, much to our disappointment. It’s such a s**thole that we’d love to rid ourselves of. Damn you Seph Lawless, please follow through!

Recommended for you…
Zion Lutheran Church.
CPR Demonstration Farm.
Rocky Mountain Raceway Park.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: February, 2017.
Location: High River, AB.
Article references (and thanks): Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, High River Times, Byron Robb.
These houses are private property. BIGDoer.com visited with permission.
Path docs/private/, file code TT44634fj0998
Path docs/private/, file code TT44634fj1002
Path docs/private/, file code TT44634hh3890
Path docs/private/, file code TT44634hh4129
Apr-22-2020-945-AM-subject-Todd-Hoffman-Chris-Attrell.txt

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Beachwood Estates High River

All buildings are empty now, waiting to be taken away.

Omega Man Beachwood Estates

Chanelling “Omega Man”.

Beachwood Estates High River AB

Sort of fond of this one…

Beachwood Estates Auction

Built on a flood plain, people were forced out recently.

Beachwood Estates House

Expecting someone to answer the door.

Houses Beachwood Estates

There’s about thirty empty homes here.

High River Homes Flood

Value, for most, pre-flood were high six figures.

High River Beachwood Estates

Oddly, walks were cleared.

High River Alberta Beachwood Estates

Another favourite.

High River Beachwood Houses

Sunset on Beachwood Estates.

High River Homes Beachwood

The place doesn’t feel empty…

High River Beachwood

Loved it so much, shot it twice.

High River Beachwood Flood

The silence was eerie.

Omega Man 2.0

Byron Robb takes it all in, on the last day of bidding.

Beachwood Estates Vandalism

There was very little vandalism.

Home in Beachwood Estates

We’ll hang around till night falls.

High River Beachwood Auction

Most of the homes here were had at auction for 100k or so.

Exploring Beachwood Estates

For sale, gently used outdoor furniture.

Flood Damage Beachwood Estates

A few years back most home owners here were underwater (literally).

MacLeod Trail High River

Historic MacLeod Trail passes through the community.

Empty Houses High River

Winning bidders have a finite time to move the houses out.

Beachwood Estates Home Auction

Dwellings are large estate sized.

Beachwood Estate Houses

It’ll soon be dark…

Beachwood Estates in High River

Trying to figure how to shoot at night.

Dwelling in Beachwood Estates

This shot worked better…yeah, I like this house.

86 responses

  1. Artivist Seph Lawless says:

    Oh buddy you messed up big time you got jealous of me for being in the press then lied about me breaking windows…your getting sued now buddy and the Canadian government forces you to pay my claim…defamation is serious crime and since you put it online it’s libel. You will be contacted by my layers then forced to publicly apologize exposing yourself as a liar then pay me lots of money. Stay tuned.

    • What? Where did this come from? A year and some later? Is that really you Seph, or are we being trolled? Still this one comes in from Cleveland (via IP address), where he lives, so it could be him. And misspelling “Lawyers” as “Layers” seems to be an odd trademark of his, further evidence I guess. Hmm, maybe it is? No matter…Dear Lord, this is priceless. Anyway Seph, take our house as payment…the keys are in the mailbox. Knock yourself out. Wait, didn’t you out yourself on CBC radio, slipping up and admitting you broke those windows? Yes, yes you did.

  2. G Dillman says:

    Chris and Connie, you are the greatest in the game!

  3. Xiang Xi Chen says:

    Very insightful article, Chris, as always. Not just well written and presented there’s clearly a tone of compassion for those who lost it all. Thanks! And that Seph guy can take a hike. You wrote a piece that blew his away and he hates you for it! This is the reason behind his harassment.

    • So happy your enjoyed the piece. Loved presenting it. He keeps harassing to this day. Sigh. We phone the cops in his town, it stops, then a month later it starts all over again. He’s a Dr. Phil episode in the making.

  4. Randy John says:

    Lawless constantly boasts about being on TV yet beyond his brief appearance on Abandoned, a show no one has seen, he’s done nothing else.

  5. Frank says:

    Seph doesn’t work for the Huffington Post. You used to be able to sign up as an unpaid contributor at HuffPost. They ended that recently, so he won’t be able to post lies on there anymore.

    • We get it! He’s just a blogger. He sure uses that position to convince those who don’t check that he’s a big time journalist however. And it seems to work. Ditto the Daily Mail.

  6. Huy Duc Du says:

    Saw your post at Canada.com. Fantastic job!

  7. Mandy Lowes says:

    He blocked me after I corrected some his over the top posts. Hands down your article is far more honest and realistic . Nicely done photos!

    • That comes as no surprise. Glad you like our work. Our post was seen by very few, but the comments tell us it’s a pretty good one. Have a great 2018!

  8. Nirmila says:

    Great write up and photo essay!

  9. Justin Lehey says:

    Canada.com brought me here. Looked up Seph Lawless and wow, some sloppy and bad work there and he comes across as such a self important douche.

  10. Gert von Ryan says:

    I purchased one of Seph’s books, the biggest waste of money ever. Many pages were missing and some were blank! Wrote a one star review, which Seph managed to get removed.

    • I’ve heard about the blank pages. Goodness, what’s going on? And now missing ones? How does he do it? Laughing hard here. Yes, he is master at getting negative stuff removed. Seph spends a lot of time keeping on top of them.

  11. Stephanie says:

    Seph’s article is full of miss information. This one’s good, real good.

  12. Gary Moore says:

    If, as he (Seph Lawless) states, Beachwood is the “Creepiest town” he would fit right in. He is a class one creep. I did my best to listen to the CBC interview. All I really heard was “Aren’t I the biggest and greatest?!!” In love with himself. What I didn’t hear was that he got permission to be there.

    • I have yet to listen to the podcast. Heard from a number of people and all say he was stroking himself pretty good – not surprised, he does love himself – all the while the interviewer kept on him for the staging and trespassing stuff.

  13. Dale Stewart says:

    (via Facebook)
    I am sure Chernobyl has creepier neighbourhoods.

  14. Lisa Jones says:

    I do not get the (Seph Lawless) creepy factor. Anything to sensationalize a story I guess.

  15. Tony Whalen says:

    (via Facebook)
    Great piece … even better without the sensationalism.

  16. Diane Schmautz says:

    This is do sad so many wonderful family’s that built dream homes.. retirement homes not knowing .. gone home and dreams.

  17. Sandra Weir says:

    I love the yellow house!

  18. Jan Carrick says:

    I don’t find it creepy, just sad.

  19. Jean Duff says:

    (via Facebook)
    I walk there everyday and there is nothing creepy about this neighborhood at all. It is sad to see the damage that has been done, but nothing at all is creepy, just the creep who is making it out to be scary. People walk their dogs there everyday, and I have often seen families ride their bikes in the neighbourhood.

  20. Coinoath Sarsfield says:

    (via Facebook)
    Kudos to you Chris for the accurate description of this nice little town.

    • Someone had to do it. Of course, the media loves sensationalism so we didn’t fare well when it came to others republishing this story. Sad.

  21. Darlene Young says:

    This is a much more realistic story. Thank you for sharing.

  22. Auriel Davies Souchuck says:

    What’s so creepy about that ? It looks so beautiful.

  23. James Val says:

    (via Facebook)
    Nice to hear the real story without the spin!

  24. Gdn Newal says:

    (via Facebook)
    Not even close (Seph) IMO, I’ve seen some real creepy ones, and the “empty cities of China” – them’s weird/creepy.

    • Agreed, him calling it the creepiest place in the world was ludicrous. There’s countless other places in the world that could hold that title.

  25. Dayna Kent says:

    I am just sorry that it took me this long to get to your blog! This is fantastic work! I am now a big fan!
    Dean Fey

    • Dean, so nice to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by, please do so often and comment again when you can. Appreciate it. There’s more interesting content on the way.

  26. Love your site and tell all my followers about you two! This post was the inspiration for mine on Huffpost.

    • Isn’t that interesting. Glad what we do motivates others to get out and explore.

    • Andrea Andrews says:

      Daily Mail brought me here. Read you broke into the houses. Shame.

    • Brandon Krattiger says:

      From sephlawlesslies…

      “Seph Lawless has always been a self aggrandizing weirdo who makes lofty claims about places he shoots that plenty of people have photographed before him. He tries to make himself out to be some activist / artist who believes in freedom of speech, yet tries to shut down everyone who points out mistakes in his work. In reality, he is just a guy with an iphone, low grade camera equipment, self published books with the bare minimum of work put into them, a tower of lies, and some greasy hair.”

      Love your work Chris and Connie!

      • Been reading more on the fellow. Unless I’m missing something, he’s headed for trouble. Gotten a huge number of private messages similar in tone to your comment.

    • T Brown says:

      As soon as I saw that he has worked for Huffington Post, I figured facts don’t quite matter to him.

    • Jennie Gist says:

      (via Facebook)
      “Lawless” indeed. So, he trespasses all over the place to take his photos and then makes up stories…

    • Stephanie Bakaluk says:

      (via Facebook)
      The “journalist/photographer” Seph Lawless has no idea what really happened in our community the day of the flood and after the fact. I actually live in High River, Alberta and the fact the person came into town and is portraying false information and only part of the story is very telling what kind of journalist this character is. A lot of the residents from my community took offense to his story as he portrayed it and when commented on his facebook page that he had it wrong he deleted people’s comments and blocked them. Any reputable journalist would take the criticism from his readers even if he did not agree. Reputable news outlets should be wary of posting this person’s stories unless they do their own research and find out the truth. In the video and article it does not state how he gained access to these homes to take the pictures and he did not talk to anybody in an official capacity as far as anybody knows. Unless Seph Lawless comes forward and clarifies how he gained access or try to correct his mistakes made in the article or video it is pretty safe to say he is using this natural disaster for his own personal gain. His unwillingness to clarify or correct his mistakes and being unwilling to let the readers negative comments on his work stand shows this guys true character.

      • Seph sure cheesed off a lot of people with his report on the place. He’s famous for deleting negative comments and harassing those who disagree with what he says. He did it to us! Had to turn off the phone! Yes, it’s for his own personal gain. Nothing else. A good pat on the back, a cheque from HuffPost and all is good.

    • Don M says:

      Huff Post is garbage Seph!

    • Paula Cook Haley says:

      (via Facebook)
      This so-called journalist (Seph Lawless) is from the US and has no ties or connections to High River. This is NOT the image High River wants, or needs and had nothing to do with the creation of this article…

      • I think you nailed it. Makes himself out to be an expert, and pisses off an entire community. In case you wonder what her and other comments are in regards to, HuffPost Journalist “Seph Lawless” wrote a highly sensationalized piece on Beachwood Estates that was not well received by locals.

    • Tis Kayla says:

      How did you gain access to these people’s homes?

  27. Nick Newton says:

    Great post!

  28. Judith Marquardt says:

    Contractors should never be allowed to build on flood plains.

    • Amen to that! Everyone, the developers, the town for allowing it, even those who bought the homes, who had their head in the sand, all bear some blame.

  29. Daniel Vandervalk says:

    (via Facebook)
    Chris my dad bought one of the houses and moving it to our farm.

  30. Daniel Vandervalk says:

    A few of the homes will be demoed due to air quality.

  31. Mairi Anne says:

    That’s sad , are the homes badly damaged?

  32. Lynn Hetherington says:

    (via Facebook)
    Sad the community has to move but probably safer for future flooding.

  33. Krista Forbes Embertson says:

    I would totally love to see one of these houses get moved. It’s fascinating what has to be done. First house I watched be moved I was about 6.. and loved every moment of it.

  34. Jenn says:

    Eerie. Someone should film a zombie apocalypse movie there! Great photos.

  35. Sandi Haydon McPherson says:

    This is where our Mayor at the time of the flood lived. Officials were warned a day or 2 before our Flood day from people that were way upstream in K-country that the big one was on its’ way. But that warning was ignored and none of us were told or prepared. Good write-up Chris.

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