Bird’s Eye View Three Hills Alberta

This will be a variation on the theme and the fun happens in Three Hills Alberta, on a wickedly frigid winter’s day, early 2022. Let me tell you, we did this one in record time! Rather than the usual comparison Then & Now type shot everyone’s all used to, which would be impossible here (we’ll explain), we’ll search out homes seen in the old image instead and see what they look like today.

It’s something quick and different plus of course, always a little fun. No digging deep here, however and even we need a break from the more involved projects.

The Then image comes thanks to our friends at the UofC archives and shows high-vantage-point scene where we’re looking out over a residential area of town. There’s little accompanying information, so we don’t know much about the photo, but that’s how it plays out sometimes.

It’s said the old image is from the period 1920-1930 and that seems about right from what we can see. The town was founded in the early 1910s and it’s clearly well built up in the old photo. Of the buildings seen or involved, that can be clearly identified – the houses and the school from which the then photo was shot, all date from the early days, so they fit.

There’s no people or vehicles seen, which are always good to help date a photo, but here it really didn’t matter.

The school, incidentally, is still there, but housed in a newer building. It looks like the photographer from long ago shot from an upper floor or maybe even the roof of the original structure. Note the basketball hoop at the bottom edge of the image.

Who shot the old pic is not known, but the text suggests it’s a promotional photo. We found other shots of town in the same archive, clearly captured about the same time (but similarly with unverified dates) where the writing appears the same. So it’s part of a series from the looks of it. Bird’s eye and town tour postcards or publicity photos were common back then and we see them all the time.

The houses seen are pretty typical of the era and of course, small by today’s standards. There’s a nice mix of styles and for the most they’re little changed over time. You’ll notice all have been well kept up and in good shape too. Kudos to their owners. There’s some real cute ones in the mix and they look extra nice in the freshly fallen snow. It crunched loudly underfoot, ice crystal’s sparkled in the brisk morning air, and the camera viewfinder was prone to fogging simply from our breath. It was damn near Winnipeg cold!

If not for the movie Amityville Horror ruining it for us in regards to gambrel (barn) roof structures, we’d pick number two as our favourite. It’s a pleasing design in every way but we can’t stop thinking portal to hell and hidden demons. Saw that movie as a kid and it’s still living rent free up there.

Number four had a garage addition put in at some point, but it blends in nicely so not a distraction from the original design.

In hindsight, we see we missed a few homes seen in the old photo, and a church I think, but we’ll blame that on the cold. We were moving fast and our eyes watering – yeah that’s it. It was just stupid casual fun and really doesn’t matter anyway.

Three Hills is home to about three thousand people presently and has actually grown since the early days. About the time the Then photo was captured it would have been in the five to eight hundred range (depending on the actual year) and this bucks the trend for rural prairie towns. Often they shrink over time, but here the outcome was different.

The community is perhaps most well known for being home to Prairie College (former Prairie Bible Institute, founded in the 1920s) and its big campus on the north end of town. We can’t say for certain if it appears in the old photo as it’s too distant, there on the far north side of town, and we’re not sure its form in the early days.

Most of the Then images used in this series, lately anyway, have been sourced by the Team. Still, we welcome contributions from viewers and if you have an old family photo you think would be good fodder for the T&N treatment, send it our way. Or contact us for more info.

This is perhaps the easiest post we’ve ever done and it was hammered in no time flat over coffee one morning. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for dropping by.

Know more about the town (new window): Three Hills Alberta.

They’re saying…

”These two are amazing!! I love following their adventures and the photography is…jaw dropping. Enjoy your working vacation, Chris & Connie!! I’m looking forward to living vicariously.” Dayna Kent.

Random awesomeness…
The Highway Bridge at Wardner BC.
Downtown Elk Point Alberta.
Unity Saskatchewan then & now.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

Date of Adventure: Ca1920-1930 and a bone-chilling February, 2022.
Location(s): Three Hills, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Town of Three Hills and UofC Archives.

A bird’s eye view showing a section of Three Hills Alberta.

Number 1.

Number 2.

Number 3.

Number 4.

Number 5.

Number 6.

Number 7.

Last but not least, it’s number 8.