Here’s a Then & Now look at the former Tri-Way Motel, now Kootenay Country Inn, out in Cranbrook British Columbia. Presenting two photos separated by about half a century and we’re going to chat a little about what’s seen. The business, and the whole scene for that matter, is timeless. The only noticeable change is not in the building itself but the automobiles being driven. Lots of big old boats back then, but mostly pickups and SUVs today.
The Then photo comes thanks to motel postcard collector and seller Dee. Thanks! They sent in a bunch of others we’ll (hopefully) be using as T&N fodder in the future and look forward to the challenge. In the old days, motels would gave away postcards as advertising premiums, so these are quite common and now a wonderful window into another time.
Tri-Way/Kootenay Country Inn Cranbrook: many years apart, yet little changed. With Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
Thanks goes out to “K&G La” for making this and many other Kootenay articles at BIGDoer.com possible. Do the same…
It was hoped a motel patron would use the postcard to send a note to friends or family and get the word out. It’d be like their personal endorsement. Most we’ve seen were never used, however, so it begs the question if they had much of an effect on business. Still every motel did it, so it must have to some degree, and now these are sought out by collectors.
Scroll down for photos and to comment.
This postcard dates back to circa 1970. All the cars seen were pretty common rides for the time, save for a couple more interesting examples. This was back when the big Three auto makers ruled the road and everything huge, heavy and gas economy not a concern.
The pink Mustang is perhaps the biggest standout and this due to the colour mostly. This was never a popular choice and it’s possible this one might even be the legendary “Playmate Pink”, in cooperation with Playboy Magazine. We compared the two shades and they’re not far apart. Note the colour of the old photo could have shifted with time, so we could be way off too, but it is pink and that’s rare.
There appears to be a boat in the mix and something that looks like a (rare) Chevrolet Corvair Van beside it. Hard to tell with the latter as it’s rather obscured. In addition to many cars parked out front, people can be seen milling about, so business appeared good that day.
Of particular interest to us is that little trailer and it’s a Shasta model. These are easily spotted due to those iconic wings and were quite popular at the time.
A cool little story sidebar comes next. We actually scoured local campgrounds prior to shooting this piece in hopes of finding a Shasta trailer (they’re still out there) or something similarly small (Bolers and their kin included). What-why? We had hopes of convincing an owner to pose their camper out front in our photo and just like in the original. For fun and games. We like to go all in and were certain we could talk someone into it, or at least we’d try. We’ll throw in a coffee too…and you get bragging rights…just saying…
In the end all we found was big fifth wheels and other land yachts, which wouldn’t work. This hunt wasted a lot of time but even so, we may try again when in the area, given we really like the idea.
The first mention of the Tri-Way we could find was from 1963 and we think the building was pretty new about that time. A photo from its earliest days shows it about half the size compared to the ca1970 image, so sometimes between the two captures they expanded the number of rooms.
We’re assuming Tri was in reference to the three major highways in the Cranbrook area (#3 & #93 for east/west travel and #95 to go north). Combined #3 and #93 pass right by the motel and this no has doubt always has brought in much business.
We’re pulling info from old phone directories and there was many missing years in the collections searched. Best we can tell, the business operated with the Tri-Way name into the 1990s, but it’s not completely clear when it changed to the current Kootenay Country Inn. Something in the back of our minds says it was recent and the business perhaps named some different in the interim. We’re regular visitors to the area and have passed it by countless times, but never really paid much attention till now.
If our readers know more, please speak up and help fill the holes.
The building is little changed as you can see and the only addition to the property since our Then photo was an office structures, with laundromat. It doesn’t show in the postcard, but does in others from later in the 1970s.
They had a restaurant on the property in the early days and it makes mentions on the back of the postcard. The reverse reads: “Tri-Way Motel and Licensed Restaurant. 1111 Cranbrook Street, Cranbrook, BC, Canada. Top rated units along Highway 3 and 95. Color TV. Automatic Phones. Published by RL Donaldson, Cranbrook BC and printed by Dexter Color, Cornwall Ontario.”
Highway #95 referenced is now #95A whereas #93 at the time had not yet been combined with #3 along this stretch.
RL Donaldson owned a photo shop in Cranbrook and seems to have produced a number of postcards for local businesses. We searched him out and his work covers many decades.
Many of the Then photos used in this series are supplied by readers. If you have a picture you think we should use, send it our way and we’ll see if we can make it work. Broad street scenes or landscape shots work best, but let’s chat first. These can be public domain photos (and most postcards are for example) or ones with your personal copyright. So old family photos and stuff like that.
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Date of adventure: Circa 1970 and July, 2022. Location: Cranbrook, British Columbia. Article references and thanks: Old BC Telephone Directories, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, plus Dee for the Then image.
I thought it looked familiar! We usually park behind the hotel and photograph trains!
On a side note, the old CPR Cranbrook subdivision track into Cranbrook ran directly on Ridgeview Road right behind the motel until CPR rerouted the line in the early 1970s to the current route.
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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I thought it looked familiar! We usually park behind the hotel and photograph trains!
On a side note, the old CPR Cranbrook subdivision track into Cranbrook ran directly on Ridgeview Road right behind the motel until CPR rerouted the line in the early 1970s to the current route.
In the 1980s there was still track to the edge of town on that old line and the railway used it as a storage spur.
Wow neat!