Down by the Tracks Okotoks Alberta

This installment we’re looking at two scenes down by the tracks in Okotoks Alberta and captured fifty years apart. There’s been change, the passage of time guarantees it, and the only constants are two steel rails extending off in the distance. The trains still run, but the grain elevator is long gone, the road’s a lot different and the town has grown so much that it’s encroaching on the scene.

Then: It’s a couple buddies out goofing around and posing for the camera, while straddling the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Calgary to Lethbridge line*. The then photo comes from a friend, Henry Niznik and who captured the shot in the early 1970s. He and the fellows seen in the car, Ken and Hirsh, all remain friends to this day. Old chums are the best and if the bond lasts this long, it’ll last to the end.

Our “then” photographer later went on to have a long career with the CPR in various capacities. And lucky for us, he liked to snap photos, both on the job and when out travelling, and allowed us use of a number pictures from his collection for inclusion in this series. Stay tuned.

The elevator in back, once a common fixture in any prairie town, belongs to the Alberta Wheat Pool and appears to have a bit of a lean. That’s not unusual for these buildings to tilt a bit but this could also be attributed to lens distortion. Henry had a fairly basic camera at the time and these were not known for their optical qualities.

A string of boxcars, perhaps waiting to be loaded with grain (or maybe loaded already), can be seen on the elevator siding. On the left, the old telegraph lines features prominent. The road, at the time, was gravel and protected by plain old crossbucks, but today there’s lights and bells.

The group’s ride is an Envoy Epic a badge engineered Vauxhall made in the UK and sold at GM Dealers in Canada. It would have been only be a couple/few years old when the then photo got captured. We don’t believe these handled Canadian conditions well (nor did many UK cars) and were never popular as a result.

Now: The grain elevator has been gone for a couple decades and like so many other “prairie sentinels” is now but a memory. Every town along the grain belt had at least one of these structures at one time, but most were out of a job by the end of the last century. With no purpose the majority were torn down. Where this one used to stand is now that grassy area seen in back, bordered on by a road.

The siding used to service the elevator has been removed but the tracks are otherwise still the same. But then again, railways are timeless for the most part. The line bends to the right (south) off by the those trees in the distance, which is about where Okotoks train station stands. It’s still in place, but used for community functions and no longer has a connection to the railway.

This track sees a couple/few trains per day each way, so it’s not terribly busy.

The crossing has been widened and the road, once used to access the elevator, is now a busy route into and out of town. We just waited for vehicles to pass and knew if we shot enough photos, we’d catch one close to the right spot. That’s much simpler (and safer) than trying to stage the scene with our car. BTW, we’re standing on a sidewalk for these shots and not the tracks.

The car seen in the today photo is Chevrolet Cobalt (or Pontiac equivalent), from the 2005-2010 period. The Team had one a few BIGDoer-mobiles back (a Cobalt), bought on the cheap, that was written off after being rear-ended by a vintage motorhome. Of all things. People who know us will see the the irony in that. The motorhome drove away unscathed where as our ride looked like a squished pop-can.

Downtown Okotoks is just off to the left in both frames but more visible in our photo due to growth. Today the town has a population of about thirty thousand, whereas back when Henry did his thing, it stood at about twelve hundred. What a difference! Okotoks is a bedroom community for Calgary and has seen explosive growth the last couple decades. Old Okotoks is tiny compared to new Okotoks and as such loosing some of that small town charm. That’s how it goes.

The original photo came in 1×1 aspect (Instamatic) format but for technical reasons we had to crop to make it fit. This the only change applied to the image.

Trying to line up the rails so they’d match perfectly with the old photo would be an exercise in futility (and a real miracle if pulled off), but here we got close. Good enough I guess. We don’t like that our now photo displays a little muddy, but we were shooting at mid-day (the worst time for pics) and no amount of playing around in post would correct it to our satisfaction. Oh well…again.

These Then & Nows, at best, are a source of much frustration and wasted time, and for most of them we’re never fully satisfied. There’s even some we’ve published on the website but never promoted. So goes it. We so love doing them, however, so will keep on it and the next one will be (technically) better. I promise.

If you have an old photo like this, you think we should use in a Then & Now, you know what to do.

*A branch line also split from the line a bit south of Okotoks, but it’s gone now. Still, the majority of traffic in recent memory has always been Calgary to Lethbridge.

Keep an eye open for our next time travelling adventure, but till then, keep being awesome!

They’re saying…

”Best little bit of history in Western Canada…if you love our history this site is worth exploring” Brian Holt.

More comparisons like this…
Edmonton Transit: 95th Street – Boo Oilers!
Then & Now: Three Hills Alberta – By the watertower!
Queenstown Alberta then and now – At the much photographed garage!
Calgary then and now – Ogden Road – What happens in Ogden stays in Ogden!

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

Date of Adventure: Early 1970s and October, 2021.
Location: Okotoks, AB.
Article references and thanks: Henry Niznik and Canadian Trackside Guides.

Down by the tracks in Okotoks Alberta, 50 years apart.

The reverse view as it appears today.