The building we see here, doubling as Monroe’s Grocery in the film Brokeback Mountain, is actually located in the small Alberta town of Crossfield. In the movie the setting is Riverton Wyoming and both the exterior and interior were used in the production.
In those scenes, main character Ennis del Mar, played by the late Heath Ledger, visits his estranged wife Alma who is employed there. Monroe, who owns the store, will go on marry Alma after she and Ennis divorce shortly after.
On our visit the building was under renovation and it was so nice to see that all that old paint removed, exposing the beautiful brick exterior underneath. The worker did not know what was in store for the building, but give the work being done, it looks to have a good future.
Be sure to comment on this post (below pictures).
At this point, I have been unable to find any history on the structure, but research will continue of course. I do know that it sat empty for some time both before and after the movie was filmed. Since the movie was made, a new building has been built next door.
Crossfield is located directly north of Calgary and the Monroe Grocery scenes were the only ones filmed in that town. A different small village, Blackie which is located southeast of Calgary, fills in for Riverton in other scenes (Riverton bar, link below).
Images from the movie are copyright Focus Features.
There was once a plaque on the building which told of its history. It seems to be gone now, but maybe they will put it back on once the renos are done?
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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There was once a plaque on the building which told of its history. It seems to be gone now, but maybe they will put it back on once the renos are done?
Thanks, I thought I saw one a few years back, but I never read it for some reason!