We use the Red Deer River Valley as a base of operations for many adventures. The area has all the things we love, historic stuff (going back eons!), much fabulous scenery, interesting people to hang with and great everything. Then there’s the free crash pad we get to use when there (thanks Rob). We’re not proud and any floor will do. This means fun in the badlands comes cheap and now there’s more money for VLTs!
Some evenings, perhaps after a busy day of exploring with friends, we like to go for a little walk somewhere quiet and peaceful. It’s a great way to unwind and as we often do, the camera’s along for the ride. Whether we use it or not varies, but it’s there. This time we’re in little East Coulee, a former coal mining town that still looks the part. It’s a section of the valley untouched by time and usually come twilight it’s all ours. This is another silly little post that means nothing really, just some random snaps captured for fun.
An Evening in East Coulee: just wandering about. With Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Sloan’s Garage: Here’s an old service station that operated from the 1930s to perhaps mid-1970s or thereabouts. Now it’s home to a firm that makes dinosaurs – not some Jurassic Park genetic cloning lab (although that would be epic), but instead models and museum displays. While covered in modern siding, underneath it’s very much the original building. It makes an appearance in a some God awful poor man’s Mad Max film that inspired this post: Firebird 2015AD Then & Now.
Long ago, a service station.
Little Miner’s Cottages: East Coulee is full of them, modest houses, some no bigger than a two car garage. There was a number of coal mines in the immediate area and it’s here the worker’s called home. Humble all, a number are still lived in, even if the mines are long gone (along with most of the old time miners), some are used as seasonal retreats and a few are presently empty. They’re all simple in form and so cute and charming. That blue one is a real stand out!
Scroll down for more photos and to comment.
Bye-Bye Blues Bus: That film was shot in the historic community of Rowley, a bit north of the Valley. Everyone who visits that restored ghost town talks about the movie but it seems no one has actually seen it. Anyway, we have and it’s not a bad couple hours wasted. Making an appearance in the flick is this purple bus, now on display at the East Coulee School Museum. Rowley’s home to a monthly event (except in 2020…thanks Covid) that we’ve attended many times. Here: A Rowley State of Mine. Pizza Night is always a blast and we look forward to doing it again once normalcy returns. If it ever does.
East Coulee School Museum: It’s a fine old building from the town’s early days (East Coulee was founded in the late 1920s) and is full of all kinds of interesting displays taking us back in time. That it’s a fair sized place reminds us just how big East Coulee was at one time. A really epic documentary premiered at the East Coulee School Museum a few years back. This: Forgotten Prairie. Also here’s a quick ‘n’ dirty tour of the building itself: East Coulee School Museum.
There’s some old time playgound equipment here, hard core stuff that can hurt you bad, including a perennial favourite with young trouble making boys; what others called a see-saw or teeter-tooter, that for us was the “rocket launcher”. Simple rule: get the other kid airborne before they did the same to you. If they hit the crossbar on the way down or took out the jewels, all the better. Only one can walk away. And the slide, face first of course. Cuts and abrasions, bumped noggins and even broken arms were par for the course. So many scars, so many good times.
Old Businesses: There are remains of a few in town, the former hotel closed some years years back, something that looks like an ex-car or farm equipment dealership – we’re not sure. We looked up old records and came up empty as to its lineage, but we really didn’t have much time so we’ll save it for another project. Still, it’s a cool looking building. Over on Second there’s Groundwork Natural Science Education, a book publisher housed in what appears to be a former store of some kind. Hard to believe this town once had everything and was busy as you could imagine.
Don’t Stop Believing: The sign that always brings a smile and around the corner, some old truck in retirement.
Lots of little miner’s cottages in town.
Random Stuff: Along the Red Deer River, it’s more peace and quiet. More miner’s homes, some dark, some with signs of life. They’re all sooo tiny. Then there’s a lame selfie. The moon lighting the way, we’re hanging the ghosts of the past. Doubling back, it’s a shining light. We’re home! For the weekend that is.
Pull up a lawn chair, grab a cold one, sit around the fire and talk the night away, about this and that and nothing in particular. And as an ending to a busy day, it’s about perfect.
I grew up in Cambria in the Drumheller valley with my grandmother and my brother. We lived in a coal miners house that my gran raised 7 kids in. It had been added onto and we actually got running water and gas in the house when I was in junior high. It was an incredible place to grow up.
What a cute little cottage! It reminds me of a tiny house on a city lot in my old neighborhood in South Vancouver. The lot was heavily overgrown with trees and bushes which partially hid the house. It was inhabited by an accordingly tiny old lady named Mrs. Ferry. She was always very kind to us kids who went past her house but mostly kept to herself. She and her abode had an inexplicable otherworldliness to them, which made me wonder if her name was actually Mrs. Faerie!
Always a pleasure to host you guys….! Hopefully we can do it again soon… and then I’ll take you up on that offer of a beer. Sadly the town is in the process of undertaking some sort of flood mitigation project. Seems many of those old houses down along the river will go, and a large berm will be built, spoiling things in my humble opinion….
And I’ll bring the good stuff…Old Milwaukee! Oh, I thought the berm already in place was enough. It’ll be a shame to lose any of those old miner’s places, but it’s progress I guess.
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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So charming.
These little mining towns always are.
I grew up in Cambria in the Drumheller valley with my grandmother and my brother. We lived in a coal miners house that my gran raised 7 kids in. It had been added onto and we actually got running water and gas in the house when I was in junior high. It was an incredible place to grow up.
Seven kids? In a miner’s house yet. Things sure were different back then. Thanks for sharing.
The original tiny houses. Lol
They don’t get much smaller.
My dad was a miner in East Coulee, he built our house and it was nice to see this as I don’t see that much on east coulee.
Mining was pretty much all you could in that town. Happy we could stir up some memories.
Very cool. I love learning information like this
We’re so pleased to share it with you.
Interesting!!
It’s what we do.
Such a fascinating little town. Sure have enjoyed exploring it and for a year or so I thought I should move there. Check out the real estate prices.
I bet some places could be had for cheap.
My immigrant grandparents lived in Drumheller in the late 30s .. Worked in coal mines. Then went farming in the 40s
Hard to say what’s a harder occupation. Both mean endless days toiling away for little return.
Thank you for sharing!…
You know it’s our pleasure!
East Coulee, nice little town.
No argument there!
What a cute little cottage! It reminds me of a tiny house on a city lot in my old neighborhood in South Vancouver. The lot was heavily overgrown with trees and bushes which partially hid the house. It was inhabited by an accordingly tiny old lady named Mrs. Ferry. She was always very kind to us kids who went past her house but mostly kept to herself. She and her abode had an inexplicable otherworldliness to them, which made me wonder if her name was actually Mrs. Faerie!
Vancouver has (had) many neighbourhoods with tiny houses. Recall that as a kid.
Love this area. We farm not to far from there.
Yes, we recall you saying that. What a cool area you live in.
This is my husband’s grandparents house (with the caption: “They’re all so tiny”). It has three bedrooms believe it or not! Still owned by the family.
How cool is that! Three bedrooms? Wow, it sure doesn’t look big enough for that.
Small prairie towns nearly anywhere had some neat little houses. Despite their size they were always homey!
It’s amazing how small some were, quite the contrast to today’s typical monster houses.
My uncle Mike work in the mines, and had a small home in Rosedale. I can remember as a child going to visit the ” doll house”.
Miner’s cottages were always small and cozy.
I have family out that way.
You’re not the first to say that.
Fascinated by this little town , visit often.
Us too!
We visit East Coulee every summer!
It’s sure busier in summer.
My sister lives in East Coulee. She’s on the Main Street facing the highway beside the old store.
It’s such a charming place and would wander it endlessly.
My family and I have driven through this neat little town. You can visit the old school house still and go inside*
The school museum is an awesome place and was where this documentary, which we appear in, premiered: Forgotten Prairie
Interesting article, keep up the good work
Thank you, we will! Glad you liked the piece.
I don’t think I’d want to see the grille of that Brigadier bearing down in my rear view mirror.
That’s one big grille!
Always a pleasure to host you guys….! Hopefully we can do it again soon… and then I’ll take you up on that offer of a beer.
Sadly the town is in the process of undertaking some sort of flood mitigation project. Seems many of those old houses down along the river will go, and a large berm will be built, spoiling things in my humble opinion….
And I’ll bring the good stuff…Old Milwaukee! Oh, I thought the berm already in place was enough. It’ll be a shame to lose any of those old miner’s places, but it’s progress I guess.