Monthly Archive: September 2015

Red and white Boler

Maple leaf Boler

This little Boler is patriotic, wearing the red and white colours of the Canadian flag and adorned with a maple leaf (they were made here after all). This is a 13 foot model, the most common version made. When in production, Canada was still transitioning into the metric system (and...

Alsask base church

Canadian Forces Station Alsask

Join us for a tour of the long decommissioned Canadian Forces Station base in Alsask Saskatchewan, in operation during the dark days of the Cold War. We’ll be given extra special permission and all the time we need to explore most of the of the buildings left standing in the extensive complex, inside and out, some of them still used for various functions, others closed up and literal time capsules.

Plenty Saskatchewan grain elevator

Prairie Sentinels – Plenty Saskatchewan

There is an old wood-cribbed grain elevator in Plenty Saskatchewan, which we’ll be looking at here. These once common buildings, which could be seen all over the prairies, are pretty few and far between today, most of them having been torn down in the last couple decades. This one is even more unique as it’s still being used.

Lacombe Church

Lacombe Alberta then and now – St Andrew’s

The lovely old church seen here, St Andrew’s United, is just over a century old and is the subject for this then and now study. Located in the community of Lacombe, in central Alberta, the substantial and very handsome building will be seen twice, first how it appeared in the early days via an old photo found online and again how it looks in 2015.

REO truck emblem

REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon was an arena-filling rock band of the 70s and 80s. But that’s not what we’ll be talking about here. Instead, we’ll focus on a line of trucks of the same name, which preceded the musical group by many, many decades and from which they borrowed their moniker. Not terribly common in this part of the world, the old workhorse seen in this report was found in the East Kootenays of BC.

Coalfields School

Coalfields SD #1275

There were once thousands and thousands of these one room schools scattered all over Alberta. Most are long gone but a few can be found here and there. Located on a lonely back road in the southwestern part of the province, where the plains meet the foothills,we explore one of these interesting structures. This is Coalfields School.

Ridge in Kananaskis

South Mist Hills

This adventure we’ll be visiting the South Mist Hills and will summit the most westerly of the trio and the one that’s middle in height. Located in the Highwood River area of Kananaskis these modest-sized mostly grassy topped bumps are not visited as often as Mist Ridge just to the north. They’re very easy to get to however and offer up some very wonderful and inspiring views of their own.

17th Ave SW

Calgary Transit then and now – 17th Ave SW

Join us as we connect two eras via a trademark BIGDoer.com then and now. In this ongoing series, we take an old photo, we track down where it was shot, then we do our best to duplicate the angle and composition as closely as possible. Today’s theme is Calgary Transit. The date of the old photo is 1974.

Utopia School

Utopia School

Today we’ll be looking at a tiny and very picturesque Utopia one room school, built a just over century ago. Empty and open to the elements today, weather beaten and ravaged by time, it stands alone on the vast Alberta prairies, in the southwest corner of the province, along a dusty old back road.

Meniak Alberta grain elevator

Alberta Wheat Pool Menaik

This old “prairie sentinel” was once located along the railway line in Menaik Alberta, but for the last few decades has stood at farm not terribly far away, where for many years it was used for grain storage. Rendered obsolete by the passage of time and changes in agricultural techniques and technology, it’s no longer needed.

Bull Creek Hills

Ridge 710871 (Gunnery Ridge?)

Well into the trip a bear gets in the way forcing us to make a change of plans mid-stride. Opposite our original objective is a long arrow straight mass of rock topped by grass and many stunted trees with the wonderful name “Ridge 710871”. We’ll hike it instead. Getting to it is via the same access route, making this choice a no-brainier.

Saskachewan sunset

The Clearwater

For one wondrous starry filled night, the Clearwater Drive-in Theatre, Kyle Saskatchewan, hosted the BIGDoer.com crew. We came, not to watch a movie, but to document a day in the life of this fascinating operation, doing it fly-on-the-wall style, recording what ever happens as it happens from the time the first employee arrives till the last car leaves.

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