A dome is an architectural element. Simply, think of it as the hollow upper half of a sphere or ball. Often used as the topping of a building or as a roof, many sports stadiums the world over have been built with this feature. Such an application requires large open...
It’s time for another Calgary Transit then and now. We so love doing them, they’re a ton a fun! For this one we look at two photos from 1969, taken along Elbow Drive and we visit the area to see if we can find the locations shown in those pictures....
The Ogden Hotel, aka Alyth Lodge, now Victory Manor, celebrated its 100th year recently and with some recent renovations it will hopefully be around for a long, long time to come. Once lodging for visitors to the community it was also a watering hole for those working at the nearby...
In this Calgary Transit then and now report, we first look at some decades old pictures showing buses travelling along Elbow Drive and we visit those same locations to see what remains today. The originals are from 1969 and our visit takes place early this year. The trolley buses seen...
Built in 1885 and 1904 respectively, St Paul’s and St Patrick’s are some of the oldest churches in Calgary, and some of the oldest buildings in town period. When constructed they were not even with the city limits, not even close, and were located in the independent community of Midnapore....
The transit buses that are the subject of this report are known as “Classics”. The ones seen here were built in the early 1990s and are the oldest such vehicles currently on the Calgary Transit roster. These old warriors will likely continue to serve for some time however, even in...
For this then and now, we first go back to 1978 and see an Edmonton Transit Flyer trolley bus passing by what was then the Northlands Coliseum. Fast forward to 2014 and Connie and myself visit that same spot to see what has changed in the thirty five years since...
In this Brokeback Mountain then and now, the character Jack Twist has just travelled to Mexico to hook up with a prostitute, a scene that was actually shot in Calgary. Mexico…Calgary…who’s to know? All they needed to complete this chapter in the story was a suitably seedy alley, which they...
This Trillium Trailer was spotted parked in the storage yard of a large trucking firm. This brand is by far the most common of the Boler-like trailers and confusing one with the other is an easy mistake, especially if seen from a distance. This example however is the square-shaped Jubilee...
The Elbow River is a watercourse with multiple personalities, that at times can be calm and serene or a hellish raging torrent. Spanning it, just south of downtown Calgary, is the 4th St SW (or Mission) Bridge, the subject of this then and now report. Built almost a hundred years...
In this then and now report, we look at two old photos showing Edmonton Transit trolley buses travelling along 115th Avenue and visit those same locations to see how things appear today. Like many from this series, we go in not knowing what if anything from the old photos remains....
This report has us visiting Fish Creek Provincial Park, an urban green space nestled in a valley at the south end of Calgary. One of the biggest parks in town, it’s home to a huge network of hiking trails, some of which we’ll explore this day. Our route, a combination...
In part two of this report on the Coleman Collieries processing plant, we discuss the loss of the historic loadout complex and what might be in store for the rest of the buildings left standing at the site. They are, supposedly, recognized as historically significant, but it appears that might...
I’ve been holding off writing this article for well over a month. I just wasn’t ready, I was not prepared. Thinking about the subject made me upset and writing about it would only make things worse. They did it and I’m set aback. What were they thinking? Why did it...
For this Calgary then and now post we visit St Mary’s Catholic Church and the nearby ex-CNR train station which was once a Parish hall and is now home to ballet company. The first image, from an old postcard, was take over a hundred years ago, and we visit the...
A century old in 2014 and certainly looking its age, the steam locomotive seen in this report, West Canadian Collieries #1, came to the Crowsnest Pass in 1920 and was put on display in the 1960s. Looking neglected and forgotten, and hidden away behind some trees, it sits on a...
This post has been updated and can be found here: Sleepee Teepee Blairmore Alberta. If you like the Crowsnest Pass (we sure do), check out these reports… Frank then and now. One Mine Ridge. A little more Lille and a flat car. If you’d like to know more about what...
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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