We’re in Claresholm Alberta at the Bluebird Motel and comparing how the business looks today to an old postcard from about fifty years ago. Spoiler alert: it hasn’t changed! In this crazy fast paced world of constant flux, it represents a timeless scene. Our home one fall weekend it functioned as a base for adventures in the area and more than just a place to crash, also, as you see here, it became woven into the story.
The Bluebird dates back to the late 1940s but in this post we see how it appeared from the 1960s period on. They started off modestly, then expanded over time, and in true rural spirit did it on a modest budget. Many of the buildings on the property were made from salvaged materials and some cabins (not seen from this angle) were bought second hand from Calgary. Curious? Look for a link further down that delves into the motel’s history.
Bluebird Motel Then & Now: some fifty year apart. Checking in with Chris Doering and Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Our love goes out to ”JlaF” for sponsoring this post and countless others at BIGDoer.com in early 2022! Do the same…
The then image (ca 1970) was shared with us by the motel in electronic form and at the same time, they presented a printed postcard shot from about the same angle, that differs somewhat. We preferred the first given it’s a more broad view and that’s easier for us. If you have an old photo or postcard, free of copyright or your copyright (ask if unsure), you think would inspire a great Then & Now, you know what to do.
Scroll down for photos and to comment.
We found several exact copies of this postcard online at collector sites and any used ones displaying postmarks were dated early 1970s, which was used to help date the card. One website posted an image of the back and it reads:
BLUEBIRD MOTEL Box 188, Claresholm, Alberta Highway 2 – Phone 235-3585 TV – Some Kitchenettes Pets Welcome – Quiet & Comfortable
The phone number listed is also telling and was in use about that time. It later changed.
The second post card appears to be a reprint of one also produced in the 1970s (but later that decade, based again on the phone number) and reads similarly on the back.
At this point we normally discuss what’s changed in the scene, but there’s not much to say here (sound of crickets chirping). Everything’s the same!
Okay, the sign’s gone (and what a kitschy sign it was), and similarly the phone booth (on the left, old image) plus the office roof has been extended out. That’s it, that’s all we got to talk about. Well, the trees are bigger now and some poles are different, but that’s kind of whatever.
These Then & Nows work best when there’s either been major change, where only one or two things are left to connect the two eras, or as here, where it’s been minimal. Time has stood still at the Bluebird Motel and that in some ways is incredible.
If you think that’s something, then check out this place: Crowsnest Pass Then and Now – Greenhill Hotel. Close to a century separates the photos in that piece and it still looks the same.
Just noticed – is that a street sign to the right of the Bluebird sign in then image? If so, it’s not very well lined up with the intersection behind the photography position and on closer inspection, even looks a bit fake. Speaking of the Bluebird sign, you’ll see it’s been shopped in on the newer postcard. We’re not sure what happened to it by this point (nor did the motel staff), but clearly it had been moved or removed from the position seen in our comparison. It must have been a local landmark and so perhaps added in due to some perceived value.
Those colourful deckchairs are awesome!
It’s a little hard to ID the car seen in the then image (only confirmed as a BIG American land-yacht), but sharp-eyed readers will spot the mighty BIGDoer-mobile sitting in the same position in our now photo. That little econo-box is famous in its own right.
These two images lined up about as well as can be expected, given all the variables in play. They’ll never be spot on, but usually we get pretty close. What you don’t see are how many times we’ve blown it and those are never seen nor heard of again
Interesting tidbit: motels would often give away postcards as advertising premiums. The Bluebird still does! Doing this back then afforded them a cheap and easy way of getting their name out and you as the sender would become a direct (if not always impassioned) endorser. In advertising circles they call that a win-win. The postcards they hand out today could still be used that way, but we suspect most are kept as souvenirs. Who mails anything these days?
Up until the 1980s or so, most motels had these printed up and we see them all the time out in the wild. We’ve even used a few for this Then & Now series. Postcards are now mostly collectibles, with numerous websites devoted to the hobby and those people into it are called deltiologists. Here’s another “now you know” moment, brought to you by this website.
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Date of Adventure: October, 2020. Location: Claresholm, AB. Article references and thanks: Bluebird Motel Claresholm, DanOCan.com and the HRHS pamphlet – Early History of the Bluebird Motel.
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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