Lynnview Ridge Revisited

As the title proclaims, we’ve returned to Calgary’s Lynnview Ridge. Truth is we’ve been back numerous times since we first wrote about it some seven years ago, but this is the first since it was officially turned into a city green space. So what’s the deal? Well…we’re speaking of a legend here and that status came for all the wrong reasons…read on.

Not all that long ago it was a vibrant residential neighbourhood, but earlier the site of a refinery. It’s all gone now and for the last couple decades has been allowed to revert to nature (while being somewhat kept up). Fenced off for the most part, you could still pay it a visit, some sections anyway, but had to walk in.

Lynnview Ridge Revisited: a hot potato subject then and now. Head in the clouds with Chris Doering and Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)

This article was made possible by a gift from our own “Johanna (Connie) Biggart” and let’s together give her the slow clap. Bravo!
Do the same…

The barricades are mostly gone now and even with more access there’s still a kind of a weird Omega Man thing going on here. Where did everyone go? You still have visit on foot, but it’s more open.

Scroll down for photos and to comment.

It feels so strange, this once industrial property, later full of homes and present day an odd chunk of empty land deep inside the big city. You know there was something here and more story behind it all, but there’s few clues. It’s puzzling to many I bet.

From the 1920s-1970s the property was home to a sprawling industrial complex. Most of the refinery operation was down the hill, past the train tracks and close to the river, but on the site that was later Lynnview Ridge, sat some giant storage tanks. No doubt over the years, a lot of yuck made it’s way into the ground from them and contaminated the soil.

And therein lies the problem – they were not always that careful in the old days yet afterwards, and knowing this very well, residential housing was allowed to be built here. I see many raised eyebrows out there.

A neighbourhood for families established here? Really? Yes and this begs the big question…”people, what the heck?” That’s what we said in this post and it got us into a lot of hot water (and still does): Lynnview Ridge (from 2014). That article, incidentally, goes into more details of the history of the place and well worth a read. It’s a story of broken dreams and finger pointing.

Here in this post, it’s a look at what’s been left behind since our last visit. This is the legacy of Lynnview Ridge I guess and even now, it feels eerie wandering about.

Lynnview Road still runs through the property although all other side streets and alleys have been removed (with some marked by road closed signs). Rows of trees speak of lanes long gone.

The streetlamps light up come nightfall and there’s sidewalks to nowhere. Look for old bus stops and other odd bits and pieces, all reminders that people once called it home. There’s no sign of the refinery, but what came after has left its mark. Sort of, but you have to look close.

You can hear the kids playing and the dogs barking. There’s rows of minivans, a BBQ on Friday night and Christmas decorations on the lawn come the holidays. Neighbours and friends, work and leisure, life playing out as it does all over and it all happened here. Closing your eyes one can picture it, even if now it’s just a couple empty fields. The trees are so orderly…there must have been something here.

The property seems popular with dog walkers, however most of the time we were alone.

There’s a fine view of the city skyline from the escarpment on the NW corner and if not for trees that have grown up, so would there be of the rest of the refinery lands. That’s where the processing happened, some of the property still a no-go zone after all these years and with remediation work ongoing. There’s nasty stuff underfoot and so many questionable things done in the good old days in the pursuit of profit.

Scratch that – has anything really changed? Today big business and in heartbeat mind you, would sell you down the river for a dollar

It’s not clear what the city has in store for the Lynnview Ridge lands. The ground’s (still) too toxic for housing, and anyway there’s the attached stigma that one wants to touch, but it’s seemingly okay for the occasional walkabout. I guess all it’s suitable for is that of a park of sorts, not that trees and grass are a bad thing. The land was cleaned up somewhat when the community was demolished, but monsters still lurk so it’ll likely see little change in the future. It’s non-developed, by the way, and left as it was when the housing was removed. So no picnic tables or workout stations here, just green.

Come walk with us and take in Lynnview Ridge as is looks today. It’s a silly little tour, as we say, of a place we’ve documented before and know well. Here we thought it was time to pay a revisit and that you might like to see how it’s changed. Oh, and we needed some filler material!

A comprehensive resource such as BIGDoer.com could not exist without the help and support of our readers. Do your part and comment on your favourite articles (maybe this one) or share this post on social media with your friends. It only takes a second and helps us know you’re out there and appreciating what we do which keeps new content coming.

Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die…

To know more about the community: Lynnview Ridge Calgary.

They’re saying…

”Chris and Connie delve into the nooks & crannies of the Canadian Prairies (ed: we do mountains too!). They detail interesting histories accompanied with revealing photos. A lot of information and work and the results are fantastic.” Naomi Kikoak.

A Calgary theme…
Mayland Heights School – Brutal!
Super S Drugs – Everyone remembers it!
Retro Service Stations – Lakeview Husky – The city’s most retro!

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of Adventure: June, 2020.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references: Our friends at the City of Calgary and the great people there busting their butts in the trenches.

  • _________________________

    BIGDoer.com: Doing it Different!



    Something to say in private? Click here to: Reach Us!
    NEWS!First TimersFAQMeet the Team
    BIGDoer.com on Facebook

    If you liked this post, please tip your server…



    Or

    © 2012-2024 Chris Doering, Johanna (Connie) Biggart & the BIGDoer.com Society. 🍁🎀

Lynnview Ridge

We’ve come back to Calgary’s Lynnview Ridge.

Lynnview Ridge Calgary

This was the main road in.

Lynnview Ridge Calgary AB

It sees only foot traffic now.

Lynnview Ridge Calgary Alberta

A once vibrant community.

Calgary Lynnview Ridge

Contaminated soil was its undoing.

Chris Team BIGDoer

The Omega Man.

Lynnview Ridge Downtown Calgary

Downtown from the escarpment.

Calgary AB Lynnview Ridge

It’s a story of broken dreams.

Calgary Alberta Lynnview Ridge

Correction: No Bus Zone (ever).

Lynnview Ridge Neighbourhood

Boler!

Lynnview Ridge Neighbourhood Calgary

Fact check: “True!”

Calgary Neighbourhood Lynnview Ridge

There used to be houses in this greenspace.

SE Calgary Lynnview Ridge

A reoccurring theme.

Lynnview Road SE Calgary

Along Lynnview Road SE.

Lynnview Ridge SE Calgary

An out of work traffic sign.

Lynnview Ridge SE Calgary AB

Lynnview Ridge existed for only a couple decades.

Lynnview Ridge SE Calgary Alberta

A refinery tank farm once stood in this section.

Lynnview Ridge Calgary Community

You’ll be waiting a while.

Calgary Lynnview Road SE

And like the setting sun, we’ll soon be gone.

30 responses

  1. Randy Fournier says:

    It is now a gated community!

  2. Gary Lucas says:

    For the residents who refused to move they now have a very private large subdivision adjacent to their properties with big refurbished natural green spaces n playgrounds. Property values soared for those who stayed the course when I last visited the area.

  3. Travis R Culbert says:

    That’s awesome!

  4. Connie Biggart says:

    What could go wrong building on refinery land?

  5. Theo Zantinge says:

    They had a fire there too in about ’99. I remember that.

  6. Amber Misner says:

    This place is sooooo interesting! We studied this and Hubalta in safety school so it’s nice to be able to go there and see things.

  7. Hailey Cuthbert says:

    Sent this to a friend at a local magazine. I know they republished some of your articles before.

  8. Dennis Boychuk says:

    Pretty nice trees that come up over the years.
    Proves that “tainted” soils regenerate.

  9. Sheila Sam Hildebrandt says:

    We used to live down the hill…..

  10. Joe Smithtwo says:

    Great story, interesting place. I can not recall the excuses given by officials, only hope they had their buttocks sued off.

  11. Stan Chartoff says:

    That place gives me the creeps sometimes when walking the dog.

  12. Jan Cooper says:

    I don’t travel much anymore but I so do enjoy my ‘travels’ with you. Your descriptions and photos are beautifully done…I can almost imagine myself being there.
    It’s so sad that this particular community was ripped away from the residents, especially knowing the builders of it knew contamination was present.
    Please keep up the good work!
    (from an avid armchair traveller)

  13. Laura Combden says:

    You have a way with words, your paragraphs like poetry. I’m glad you had a follow-up visit, your original post was such a big one! Bittersweet, 7 years older, but nothing has changed on that land except some more growth and some more details forgotten.

    I’m glad you’re inviting your readers to go visit, it’s my favourite place in the city to walk and wonder.

You cannot copy content of this page

Please log-in to continue...
This allows unrestricted access to every post @BIGDoer.com, popups are eliminated,
commenting is on and the "contact us" page is enabled.

Esc to close this box.

Lost Password?

Or...

Your social site may send you a routine notice of login.

Or signup, here: Subscriber Register
___
BIGDoer.com: Serving up POP HISTORY & other McFun!…(Mmmm, yummy bite-sized pieces.)
One million plus words & tens of thousands of photos!