Journey of Natty Gann – party place

The 1985 Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann is set in the dark days of the 1930s depression and tells the story of a young girl and her travels. She, with her father, live in a dumpy old hotel in Chicago, but he soon heads west, alone, in search of work, leaving behind Natty in the care of the hotel’s owner. Unhappy in this position, Natty soon runs away.

In quest to find her father Natty has many adventures along the way and meets and interacts with many interesting people.

Many scenes from the movie were filmed in an area we love and frequent often, the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta (some scenes were also captured just across the border in BC). This area, which has many old coal mining towns, is a film maker’s dream. There are many old period buildings that fit in well with the time frame the movie was set in.

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Scroll down for photos or to comment ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

The scene we’ll be duplicating today is simple one – the setting is a party taking place in a building. Our first task to find that building. It looks familiar and we’re certain we’ve seen it before and a little bit of research later and some footwork, we’ve found it. I knew we would.

Next we line up the shot. Since we do this a lot, we’ve developed a technique that works pretty well. Reminder, our now photo is pretty much straight form the camera and no cropping is used to help line things up. We rely on our skill to do that and most times we get real close.

The building seen here is former International Coal and Cole Company mine office. It was coal mining that made the Pass. The building dates from the first few years of the twentieth century. Interestingly, the firm that constructed the building was known as Disney and Johnson. Recall, Natty Gann is a Disney movie.

The image from the movie Journey of Natty Gann is copyright Disney Studios.

To see some other movie then and now posts, go here…
Journey of Natty Gann – old road.
River of No Return.
Silver Streak movie then and now – walking the tracks.

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

Date: December, 2014.
Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB.
All the places seen in this report are publicly accessible.

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Natty Gann party

Journey of Natty Gann, the party place scene.

International Mine Office

The building is the former International Coal and Coke Mine Office in Coleman Alberta.

12 responses

  1. Party Place Owner says:

    Great photos of “our party place” – love the party place movie picture and the after picture in 2014. We are the couple that bought the place and it is now restored and we live here. We had heard stories of Natty Gann being filmed here so it is great to see your picture of the party place. I can’t wait to watch it on DVD. We have also heard lots of colourful stories of Jones Garage. Jones was especially liked by all the young children that came by to get a marble or a little car widget. The cars that were in the building when we purchased it were not from the movie. They were late model domestic cars. I will attempt to attach a picture of the “Party Place” today this snowy chilly day Oct 17, 2020. Have a great day!

  2. Robert Taje says:

    Right next to my house. Love that building. I remember it as Jones’s Garage.

    • I recall, many years back, that there were some old cars inside the building. Perhaps left overs from that operation?

      • Rob says:

        The old cars may have been used in the movie, but I don’t beleive so. They were there in storage for many years. I used to get excited when Mr. Jones would come and open the garage, he woul always let me in to look around. Loved all the old cars in there.

        • The cars were the wrong era to be used in that movie. So no to that. But that made them no less cool. I recall peering inside and seeing them. Thanks for commenting and have a great 2017!

  3. Shari Lucas says:

    I remember them filming this show.

  4. John William Kinnear says:

    (via Facebook)
    Some good news to share. The building has been bought by a couple who intend to restore it to original if possible. I went to a fireman’s children’s Christmas party in the hall on the second floor.

  5. musclesprouts says:

    Keep these coming. I so love this film, one of my favorites of all time!

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