The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary is a centre for performing arts, built in celebration of the province’s 50th anniversary (or “Jubilee” year) in 1955. Now close to sixty years old, the building is still a busy place and hosts many events throughout the year, and in in fact...
This post has been retired and an updated version can be found here: SAIT Heritage Hall (Built Early 1920s). See you there! They’re saying… “Great people and great articles! I am honored to know both Chris & Connie and to also have collaborated on photo trips or helped with research....
For this “then and now” post, a two-parter, we visit Central Memorial Park to look at Calgary’s Cenotaph, the Boer War Statue and Memorial Park Library in behind. The originals that we’ll try to duplicate are from a couple old postcards provided to us by a reader of this blog...
It’s the spring of 1989 (I think) and after working for months on end without break, I take a couple days off from my job in Vancouver BC to visit the sunny Okanagan. I spend one afternoon in Kelowna where I explore the railway in town. What, no relaxing on...
In this report we take a look at the CPR’s former Beiseker Alberta train station which now houses that town’s offices along with a library and museum. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013, the building is in fine shape and sits only metres from where it was built. The railway...
The former Riverside Iron Works site in the historic neighbourhood of Ramsay has found a new lease on life and some of the old buildings are being converted into offices and studios. Once a ratty old factory, gritty and dirty, parts have been cleaned up and remodelled and look as...
The elevator seen here, the tallest thing for kilometres around, sits at a farm north of Fort MacLeod Alberta. An old building, some says it dates from the 1910s, the current owners think the 1920s, the structure was moved here, from a nearby town, way back in the 1970s. What...
Located close to the historic site for which its named, the Buffalo Jump Arts and Crafts store not far from Gleichen is abandoned and forgotten and close to collapse. Empty and open to the elements, it’s only a matter of time before it’s gone. This structure is located along the...
For this Calgary then and now report, we take a look at the circa 1910 Louise Block and 1909 Bell Block located just south of downtown near the old warehouse district. Sitting alongside northbound MacLeod Trail, a busy artery into the core, thousands of cars a day pass by the...
For this then and now series we look at the St George’s Island (or Zoo Island) Bridge in Calgary. The first view is from an undated postcard and the second was shot by us recently. In spite of our angles being off a bit, we can see that the bridge...
In this report we look at a vintage postcard that shows 1st St SW in Calgary (undated – probably 1910s), and we return to that spot to see how it looks today. Of those buildings seen in the original image only one remains intact, although a second, the church at...
Being so tiny, Boler trailers can fit nearly anywhere and when not being used they can often be found tucked away in back yards or in alley parking spots. Or as we see here, you can put it in an out of the way area at the the end of...
To the motorists driving by on busy MacLeod Trail, it’s the Big Yellow house in Victoria Park just off downtown Calgary. Surrounded by parking lots and condo towers, it sits alone and looks terribly out of place and in fact it’s the only house left in the immediate area. It’s...
For this adventure we’re accompanied by fellow history explorer Jon Dirks and together we examine an old forgotten Buffalo Jump not far from Gleichen Alberta. Know as a Pishkun (or Piskun) this was once a place of great importance to the Blackfoot People. Today it’s quiet, save for the noise...
Alexandra School is located just east of downtown Calgary in the historic neighbourhood of Inglewood. Just over a century old, the building looks good, in spite of some ugly additions, and today is used as a community centre. The “then” image is from an old post card dated 1908 and...
This post has been updated and can be found here: Mewata Armoury Downtown Calgary. To see other Calgary then and now series we’ve created, click these links… Waiting on the Queen (Calgary 1973). Calgary Then & Now: Ogden Bus Loop. Calgary Then & Now: From Tom Campbell Hill. If you’d...
It’s been an amazing record year for Boler spotting and as of the writing of this report, we’ve seen fifty two so far. Included in that is out latest find, the “shades of grey” Boler found in Calgary in December of of 2013. They just keep coming and and we...
The Devenish Apartments are an amazing piece of architecture and they have been a well known Calgary landmark for just over a century now. Made of stunning deep-red brick and contrasting grey sandstone, the building stands proud and looks just as good as it did when it was built in...
The two pictures seen here, taken in 1992 and 1997 (or maybe 1998), show a rare and unusual arrangement – a duplicate set of grain elevators serving two parallel rail lines. The track passing by, belongs to the CNR and CPR and is located in the tiny town of Irricana...
Not a lot of years separate these two photos but in that time the change has been dramatic. The trains are no more and the row of elevators has been reduced to one.
Down by the tracks in Arrowwood Alberta, 1997 and 2015. Interestingly the then photo is from us and this a rare case of Team BIGDoer shooting both. It was captured by Chris back when he was doing oilfield hotshot.
The last elevator standing is a former Alberta Wheat Pool facility and dates from the 1970s. That's it's fairly modern is perhaps the reason it survived into today and it's now used by a local farmer for grain storage.
Check the comments to know more 👇
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
Spotted while documenting The Great Beater Challenge, 2021 edition! Here, it's a little diversion into the near ghost town of Orkney Saskatchewan to look at a disused Patterson Grain Elevator. The structure dates from the 1970s and was built with features foreshadowing those used in high throughput grain terminals of today. Fast load systems and the like.
Check out that vintage yield sign and we doubt it's really needed any more. There's no traffic on these streets.
BTW, we got to chase the Beater Challenge 2023 and we'll post about it soon.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2021. Posted by Connie.
After we drop off a couple rolls for processing, we'll call home! A little corner pharmacy, in a nondescript Calgary strip mall, and it's sort of lost in time. Shot in 2016 and we find anachronisms like this fascinating!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
St Francis in the Woods out in BC's East Kootenay region dates back over a century. It's sort of hidden away down a little backroad and is far removed from the modern world. While no longer used in a spiritual capacity, it still hosts community functions from time to time. Otherwise, silence rules.
Know more about this subject in a link posted to the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2023. Posted by Connie.
The same stone house about a century apart and from almost the same angle. It came close to being a proper Then & Now, but interestingly, we didn't know of the old photo when we captured ours.
The house was only lived in for a few decades, starting about 1910 and abandoned on account of arid conditions.
A family of twelve (yes, two parents plus TEN kids) lived in this modest-sized dwelling. Those early pioneers were hardcore. A house in the middle of nowhere, farming conditions that at best were marginal, brutal winters, few neighbours, little of anything and a bus load of children to raise in a house the size of a garage. Give them credit!
Know more via a link in the comments.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2015. Posted by Connie.
The Fort Motel in Fort MacLeod Alberta, seen in an old postcard circa 1960 and again on a quiet evening late in 2023. It's one of many old style motor-court motels in this historic town and as you can see it's little changed over time. Too bad about that sign, though. The Fort Motel first makes mention in phone directories in the early fifties.
To know about our subject scroll down to a link in the comments. Hey Lethbridge Historical Society, thought you'd like this!
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Posted by Connie.
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