This article we’ll be looking at a small brick school house, a very photogenic one in fact, located in the tiny village of Netherhill Saskatchewan. Constructed just over a century ago, it’s been many, many decades since classes were last held here. More recently it was used as a fraternal...
Perched atop a small knoll in view of the towering Rockies, St Henry’s Catholic Church at Twin Butte Alberta is well over a century old. No longer used for regular services, but still well maintained, the fine looking building is opened up from time to time for special occasions and...
We’ve been given an old photo, one from the late 1910s or perhaps the early 1920s, or thereabouts (does it really matter), showing a street scene Brock Saskatchewan. We return to the same spot where it was captured oh so long ago, to see what we can see and we’re...
This old grain elevator stands alone in a field, battered and beaten, having been abandoned for many decades. We’ve seen a lot of these structures in our travels and this is perhaps the most sorry example yet. But it has this amazing dignity and elegance, even in spite of its...
Today we look at the former Pool grain elevator in Coleville Saskatchewan, not a really old building compared to some we’ve documented, but still one of interest. Problem, though, it was raining, very hard at times, and we had the choice to wait it out (but we were short on...
When on the road we like accommodations with personality. No five star lodging for us, that’s so terribly boring, not to mention expensive. We’re cheap-ass buggers at heart. Give us a dive motel, hotel, hostel, cabin…whatever…and as long as it’s reasonably clean we’re a happy bunch. We love them and...
Fullerton Loop is an easy hike. Its close proximity to Calgary, in the rolling foothills west of town, also means it’s well patronized and while not the most scenic outing, much of the time you’re in the trees, it has its moments. The high point of the trip, is well,...
It was a good day for Boler spotting, four little eggs found in a few block square area of east Inglewood in Calgary, all within minutes of each other. This is a good neighbouhood to find these trailers and we’ve been hanging around it it for years. When we need...
Pacific and Hayes are arguably two of the most rugged heavy duty makes of work trucks ever produced…PERIOD! Overbuilt and engineered in every way, either could be called upon when the the conditions were not just difficult, but demanding to the extreme. Catering to the logging and mining industries of...
Today’s subject takes us back to the paranoia-fueled days of the Cold War, a long abandoned military radar dome installation in Western Saskatchewan. Its purpose was scouring the skies for approaching enemy aircraft and missiles and was one of a large network of similar facilities, operated jointly by the Canadian...
We’re in Saskatchewan seeking ghost towns and grain elevators and as much adventure as we can handle. Stopping in the tiny community (redundant statement – nearly all Saskatchewan towns, it seems, are such), we find a real treat, a stunning prairie sentinel, all nice and brown, surround by yellow flowers...
The impressive orange boulders we’ll be documenting in this post date back to prehistoric times and can be found at the very scenic Red Rock Coulee Natural Area near Medicine Hat. Located on the lonely Alberta prairies, these rounded masses are spread out over an area perhaps a few kilometres...
Netherhill, a pinhead-sized dot on the map, blink and you’ll miss it kind of place, a mostly forgotten backwater on the great plains of western south-central Saskatchewan. It’s a tiny community, a few blocks square, and a wee bit quaint, as small prairie towns often are. Off the beaten path...
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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