Hello Chris and Connie great research on Shaunavon, I take it that the CPR station is gone. I’m posting on another board IHC 185, if you look under my Canadian Private Labels you will see my Swiss pocket watch from there. It was nice meeting you at Champion Park last spring. When are you going to come out and visit me?
So nice to hear from you Larry. No train station when we were there. Was it in place until recently? Looked at the watch. Nice. Interesting it’s marked Shaunavon! It was nice to meet you to. I tried emailing you a few times on recent memory but it said your mailbox was full. Would love to come out a chat! Maybe I should get your phone number instead. Maybe private message me if you read this.
Hi Chris, about the photo of Shaunavon from the late ’40s: The building at the far left which is too blurred to see clearly is Christ the King Catholic church. I know because I was born in 1941 and grew up in Shaunavon. I know the shape of that building. Before the Catholic separate school was built, there was a grades 1 – 8 school in the basement of that church. I attended all 8 years.
Oh, that’s awesome. We so love hearing from people who are connected to the subject matter like you. It helps really add to the story. Myself and our readers thank you.
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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Shaunavon has the widest main street that I remember!
So many small prairie towns, likewise, had a wide main street like that. Seems oddly out of place today.
Hello Chris and Connie great research on Shaunavon, I take it that the CPR station is gone. I’m posting on another board IHC 185, if you look under my Canadian Private Labels you will see my Swiss pocket watch from there. It was nice meeting you at Champion Park last spring. When are you going to come out and visit me?
So nice to hear from you Larry. No train station when we were there. Was it in place until recently? Looked at the watch. Nice. Interesting it’s marked Shaunavon! It was nice to meet you to. I tried emailing you a few times on recent memory but it said your mailbox was full. Would love to come out a chat! Maybe I should get your phone number instead. Maybe private message me if you read this.
Hi Chris, about the photo of Shaunavon from the late ’40s: The building at the far left which is too blurred to see clearly is Christ the King Catholic church. I know because I was born in 1941 and grew up in Shaunavon. I know the shape of that building. Before the Catholic separate school was built, there was a grades 1 – 8 school in the basement of that church. I attended all 8 years.
Oh, that’s awesome. We so love hearing from people who are connected to the subject matter like you. It helps really add to the story. Myself and our readers thank you.
It really hasn’t changed much. Kind of refreshing.
I know, I love that time seems to have stood still here. Neat effect.
My dad lived in Shaunavon for years, years ago.
Heard from a large number of former residents or people whose relatives were former residents the last while. Interesting!
Very cool!
Very cool!
Glad you like it!