Crowsnest Pass then and now – Chinook Motel
This post has been updated and can be found here: Chinook Motel Crowsnest Pass ~50 Years Apart.
More Then & Nows…
Shaunavon Saskatchewan ~70 years apart.
Downtown Trout Lake British Columbia.
Grain Elevators at Carbon Alberta.
If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: 1960s and December, 2015.
Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB.
Our family lived in the last cabin on the left for several months when we first moved to Alberta. It was pretty tight with eight of us back then but will never forget the memories of the fish pond in the centre and the lumber kiln burning across the highway.
Eight in one cabin? Cozy! Cool memories too.
Wow!!!
This one worked out well.
Beautiful !!
What a lovely spot.
I love the then and now pics!
We love shooting them – but they’re lots of work – still, there’s more in the pipeline to be posted soon.
Interesting my whole time living down there and passing by that place always thought it was like it is! Hmmm…thanx for all the past/now pics. I love the history!
You are welcome! And of course history is a passion for us, if that’s not already obvious. We’re crazy about it.
Seeing ‘then and now’ type of pictures is always cool! Love it.
Thanks, we have more in the pipeline too.
Home with crowsnest mtg in the back round.
That mountain is amazing.
Those pictures bring back a lot of good memories!!
Happy to hear that!
We used to go to the cabins just to see the fish pond on a Sunday afternoon.
Cool!
Cool. What a difference. Very neat spot!
And so beautiful too!
I love then and now photos. It’s always interesting to see how things change.
The change here in particular is interesting. The mountain is the same, the trees are a bit bigger and only a few cabins are gone. And that sign.
Awesome pictures and story Chris and Connie. You two totally bring back wonderful memories to those of us that lived in the Pass. Just to clarify, the sawmill across from it was owned by Revelstoke Companies Ltd., before Atlas Lumber took it over. If I remember correctly, Atlas took it over in the last 70’s or early 80’s.
Glad you liked the piece. It’s what we love doing, stirring up (hopefully) fond memories. Thanks for adding to the story too.
Ooh. That beautiful blue sky! I well remember the mountain looking like that.
The light cooperated. It’s sure a stunning place!
I love the photos!
Thank you for sharing Chris i never knew this was a motel, I didn;t know there was anything special there. Love learning the history on the area.
We love to share history!
I remember that place!
It seems we’ve jogged a good number of memories! Hearing from so many people who recall the Chinook.
We actually lived in the cabin on the far left for quite a while when our family moved from BC to Alberta. It was pretty tight quarters with 6 kids. They even had a little fish pond in the centre.
Wow, that does sound a bit cramped. Living in a motel? We did it often when I was a kid. The old man liked to move about. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back again sometime soon.
Love this!!!
So glad to hear. Be sure and stop by often.
(via Facebook)
I can remember when Jim Kerr and family built them.
He sure built a nice motel. Thanks for commenting.
Jim Kerr had this cool collection of animal parts, bones etc. And he was an excellent story teller.
An interesting fellow for sure!
I don’t know anything about the spring water at this location, but do you remember when everyone used to stop along Highway 2 for Nanton water? I remember that was “the thing to do” when traveling up to Calgary. I even recall there being Nanton Root Beer and Nanton Ginger Ale being made for a period of time because Nanton was so famous for its spring water.
Yes, I recall “Nanton Water”. A look online shows it’s still being produced. With all the Sulphur underfoot in the Crowsnest Pass, I wonder how water coming from spring at the Chinook Motel tasted? I’m thinking yuck!
The water is some of the best I’ve ever had. Really cold right out of the tap and very soft. The whole family looked forward to visiting our Grand parents and a glass of water.
Hmmm, makes one wonder why it was so good? Still, very cool!