Not like we need another obsession here at BIGDoer.com, but it’s happened. Great…just great. And it’s well known history buff Johnnie Bachusky we blame. If not for him bringing up the subject of water towers recently while chatting, the seed would have never been planted. Sure, we noticed these structures before while on out on adventures, and even photographed a few, but we didn’t pay them a great deal of mind overall. I guess we were preoccupied with other things. But since that fateful day not long, we think of them a lot and search them out religiously. Funny how that happens.
Seen here, the first and second shots since being bitten by the bug. Number one is found in the tiny community of Arrowwood Alberta, a charming little place. Until recently there used to be a Co-op store sitting in front, but it was torn down a year or two back. To the best of our knowledge, this water tower is quite old and may go back to around the time when the town was founded in the mid-1920s, and is still used. And down the highway and across the Bow River, a similar structure in the town of Gleichen. This tower dates from the early-1910s has been unused since the 1970s, but was saved and historically recognized. Kudos for that.
Both shots were done late in the day, on the same day. And we drove out there just to shoot them.
Soon, no doubt, you’ll see more water tower posts here. Thanks Johnnie…thanks a lot.
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.
If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: March, 2019. Location: Arrowwood & Gleichen Alberta.
Heritage journalist Chris Doering served me up quite an honour today with a shout out on his site that was included in a water tower piece, a passion of mine. Chris is an outstanding writer and I am a great admirer of his heritage work. Thanks Chris. Now about that planned trip to Square Deal….
The other day we were talking about the Leduc water tower – 1980 – and the alarm that sounded from it at 10 every night. It might have worked when it was originally designated to take kids off the street but by then it was just ignored.
We know of a couple towns that still have a curfew siren. Ymir BC is one…it goes off precisely at 9pm. Or at least did – it’s been a couple years since we were there.
Not a lot of years separate these two photos but in that time the change has been dramatic. The trains are no more and the row of elevators has been reduced to one.
Down by the tracks in Arrowwood Alberta, 1997 and 2015. Interestingly the then photo is from us and this a rare case of Team BIGDoer shooting both. It was captured by Chris back when he was doing oilfield hotshot.
The last elevator standing is a former Alberta Wheat Pool facility and dates from the 1970s. That's it's fairly modern is perhaps the reason it survived into today and it's now used by a local farmer for grain storage.
Check the comments to know more 👇
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
Spotted while documenting The Great Beater Challenge, 2021 edition! Here, it's a little diversion into the near ghost town of Orkney Saskatchewan to look at a disused Patterson Grain Elevator. The structure dates from the 1970s and was built with features foreshadowing those used in high throughput grain terminals of today. Fast load systems and the like.
Check out that vintage yield sign and we doubt it's really needed any more. There's no traffic on these streets.
BTW, we got to chase the Beater Challenge 2023 and we'll post about it soon.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2021. Posted by Connie.
After we drop off a couple rolls for processing, we'll call home! A little corner pharmacy, in a nondescript Calgary strip mall, and it's sort of lost in time. Shot in 2016 and we find anachronisms like this fascinating!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
St Francis in the Woods out in BC's East Kootenay region dates back over a century. It's sort of hidden away down a little backroad and is far removed from the modern world. While no longer used in a spiritual capacity, it still hosts community functions from time to time. Otherwise, silence rules.
Know more about this subject in a link posted to the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2023. Posted by Connie.
The same stone house about a century apart and from almost the same angle. It came close to being a proper Then & Now, but interestingly, we didn't know of the old photo when we captured ours.
The house was only lived in for a few decades, starting about 1910 and abandoned on account of arid conditions.
A family of twelve (yes, two parents plus TEN kids) lived in this modest-sized dwelling. Those early pioneers were hardcore. A house in the middle of nowhere, farming conditions that at best were marginal, brutal winters, few neighbours, little of anything and a bus load of children to raise in a house the size of a garage. Give them credit!
Know more via a link in the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2015. Posted by Connie.
The Fort Motel in Fort MacLeod Alberta, seen in an old postcard circa 1960 and again on a quiet evening late in 2023. It's one of many old style motor-court motels in this historic town and as you can see it's little changed over time. Too bad about that sign, though. The Fort Motel first makes mention in phone directories in the early fifties.
To know about our subject scroll down to a link in the comments. Hey Lethbridge Historical Society, thought you'd like this!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
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Check out Kindersley, sk
We’ve added it to the list, thanks!
Great photos!
Thanks Connie, hope your day is a good one.
Drumheller still has one.
Added it to the list. Seen it before but didn’t pay it much mind. Now with that seed planted, we’ll search them out more.
From Johnnie Backhusky’s FB page…
Heritage journalist Chris Doering served me up quite an honour today with a shout out on his site that was included in a water tower piece, a passion of mine. Chris is an outstanding writer and I am a great admirer of his heritage work. Thanks Chris. Now about that planned trip to Square Deal….
Any time Johnnie, let’s do it! Glad you liked the post too.
You should have come a little further when you were in Alsask, there’s one in Kindersley they are thinking of tearing down.
Had we known…but if we’re in the area again…
You need to see the old wooden water tower at Weyburn SK.
We’ll have to check it out if we’re in the area. Thanks for the tip.
One like this in wetaskiwan.
On the to-do list!
Beautiful pictures, a painting ..!!!
Thanks, glad you like them.
The other day we were talking about the Leduc water tower – 1980 – and the alarm that sounded from it at 10 every night. It might have worked when it was originally designated to take kids off the street but by then it was just ignored.
We know of a couple towns that still have a curfew siren. Ymir BC is one…it goes off precisely at 9pm. Or at least did – it’s been a couple years since we were there.
Great shots!!!
Thanks, we sure enjoyed shooting them.