Monthly Archive: June 2013

Leaky barn roof

This old barn

Connie was scheduled to have a battery of routine tests done at the new South Heath Campus in southeast Calgary (it’s a massive building). Some of the procedures required her to take some medication which could impair her ability to drive, so of course I volunteered to be her taxi....

Finnegan AB railway loading ramp

Finnegan Alberta

Located deep in a river valley in a remote part of the province, Finnegan Alberta is nothing more than a little point on the map and that’s likely all it has ever been. A siding on CPR branch line (long gone), there is not much to see here, nor was...

Boler RV trailer

Brown bottom Boler

We were quite lucky to capture this trailer. It passed by on the highway and with only seconds to spare we were able to turn on the camera, spin around quickly to line up the shot, and get a single frame off. This brown bottom Boler was seen in the...

Carseland AB hotel

Brokeback Mountain then and now – Signal WY bar

Here’s another in our series of Brokeback Mountain then and now reports, and in this set we see Jack and Ennis heading to a bar – a common theme throughout the movie and as the pair travel about, they visit any and every watering hole they can find. Played out...

Boler on the news

Alberta flood watch Boler

The great floods of June 2013 will go down in history as some of the worst seen in this area. Heavy rains and snow melt in the mountains caused torrents of water to race downstream and nearly every community in Southern Alberta near a water course was effected. Like many...

Corbin BC cabin

Corbin BC

Located deep in a remote valley in southeastern British Columbia, Corbin is home to a few residents, some summer cabins and one giant coal mine – you can’t miss the latter. Very near the Alberta border, the town was once tied to that mine which has operated on and off...

Raley Alberta Trillium Trailer

A horse, a Trillium, and Alberta’s oldest grain elevator

Sharing the field with a horse and another trailer, this little Trillium was spotted in the ghost town of Raley Alberta. What’s significant is that in the same frame is oldest grain elevator in all of Alberta , which we came to explore. The horse was kind enough to pose...

Hillcrest-Mohawk Collieries ruins

Crowsnest River walk and Hillcrest-Mohawk Collieries plant

This adventure combines two favourite activities, hiking and exploring abandoned places. A short and pleasant trail meanders between the Crowsnest River and the CPR rail line taking us through woods and meadows, to the base of the historic Hillcrest-Mohawk (sometimes spelled Mowhawk) surface plant. While only a few kilometres round...

Boler trailer Alberta

Hidden Boler

As is often the case we discover many Bolers completely by chance. We’ll be driving somewhere and out of the corner of our eyes we’ll see one, perhaps tucked away in an alley or in a back yard. And this is exactly what happened here and while driving around Coleman...

Cowley AB Brokeback movie

Brokeback Mountain then and now – Signal Wyoming

In the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain, Cowley Alberta doubles for the fictional town of Signal Wyoming. It’s not surprising the producers selected the community and it does a fine job convincing us its a 1960s era small prairie town in Middle America. Many scenes were filmed there and for this...

Superman 1978 Smallville cemetery

Superman 1978 cemetery scenes – then and now

We’ve been hoping to do this Superman then and now series for some time. In fact, we visited the site once before earlier this year but difficult conditions, driving rain, made the shoot a real challenge and the results were less then ideal. Retuning in June of 2013, things were...

Crowsnest radio tower

Silver Streak movie then and now – walking the tracks

Those who read this blog know we spend a lot of time in the Crowsnest Pass region of Alberta. We finds so much to do there – there are trails to hike, mountains and ridges to summit and lots of historical sites to explore. Plus, as it turns out, a...

Unfinished CNoR railway

Unfinished Canadian Northern Railway line Fort MacLeod

The berm we see here, cutting across a farmer’s field, is in fact the grade of a proposed rail line, unfinished and abandoned before completion. Passing by it seems of little significance, but over one hundred years ago when it was built, there were great plans afoot to open up...

Raley AB elevator

Alberta’s oldest grain elevator

Deep in the south west corner of Alberta is the former town of Raley, home to the province’s oldest grain elevator. Built in 1905, this old timer sits along an abandoned rail line. Looking rough and neglected, I doubt many passers by (what few that do pass by) realize the...

Pacific truck vs Chevy Cruze

A rugged Pacific truck

Some would argue that Pacific should hold the title as the toughest all around truck ever produced. All business and with few frills they could be found hauling logs, transporting oilfield equipment, working on construction sites or in mines. The one seen here was an example of the latter, a...

Turtle Mountain Crownest

One Mine Ridge

For this trip we’ll tackle a nice ridge directly north of the town of Bellevue Alberta in the Crowsnest Pass. It has no official name that we can find, but some parts of it are along the documented Two Mine Trail loop and since we’ll pass one of the mines...

Boler RV Trailer

Dark clouds Boler

A short cut through an alley turns up a pleasant surprise, a nice Boler trailer seen in someone’s back yard. A menacing storm can be seen approaching from behind and soon it’d be raining – hard! This one was seen in June 2013, in Coleman Alberta in the historic Crowsnest...

Boler camping trailer

Storage lot Boler

Most owners choose to store their Bolers on their own property. These trailers are small and fit nearly anywhere and so you’ll see them in back yards, in alleys and on driveways. For those who don’t have the space, keeping them at a commercial storage lot is sometimes the only...

Commander Mine dump

Stirling Mine – Commander Mine – Nacmine Alberta

Abandoned in the 1950s, many old and decrepit coal cars can be seen scattered about the forgotten Commander Mine site (earlier the Stirling Mine) near Nacmine Alberta. Exposed to the elements, rot and rust are slowly taking over. Tossed aside when the mine closed, they fittingly sit atop the old...

Eagle Hill and rain

Return to Eagle Hill

Our goal this day is a modest lump of dirt called Eagle Hill situated in the Sibbald area of Kananaskis just south of the Trans Canada highway and bordering on the Stoney (Nakoda) First Nations Reserve. Coming into season early, you can often find us on this trail in the...

Dunshalt Alberta railway

Remote railway interlocking tower then and now

This post has been updated and can be found here: Dunshalt Alberta 1974 and 2013. More Then & Nows… 27 Years Apart with Alberta Prairie Ry #41. Grain Elevators at Carbon Alberta. Superman 1978 Then & Now: Below the Dam. If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here,...

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