Monthly Archive: March 2014

Richard Hart CPR Calgary cropped

Canadian Pacific Railway then and now – Sunalta Calgary

Join us for another BIGDoer then and now! For this report we’ll visit the Canadian Pacific Railway’s mainline just west of downtown Calgary (train themes, one of my favs). The first image is from 1984 and was contributed by the photographer who captured it and we visit that same spot...

Claresholm Inn

Claresholm then and now – Bell Hotel – Claresholm Inn

Over six decades separate the two images seen in this report. We’ll be looking at the Bell Hotel (now the Claresholm Inn), a large brick structure located in the small town of Claresholm Alberta. The first view is from the early 1950s and we’ll compare that to how the building...

Deutsch-Canadier block Calgary

Deutsch-Canadier (Eastern) Block

It appears that time is running out for the 100 year old Deutsch-Canadier (aka Eastern) Block located on busy MacLeod Trail near downtown Calgary. Neglected and showing its age, the building has been boarded up recently and its future is uncertain. I have been told it may be slated for...

Calgary Transit trolley bus

Calgary Transit then and now – The Bay

It’s 1971 and we’re in downtown Calgary. Parked in front of the massive Hudson Bay Company outlet are a couple transit buses, including one trolley coach. I wonder what things there look like today? Well, let’s return to the location of the original photo and see. The HBC or “Bay”...

Calgary Party House

Calgary then and now – the Party House

In this then and now post we look at a circa 1970s “Party House”, at the west end of downtown Calgary and we return to that location to see if anything has changed since. And of course it has, a lot – like you didn’t already know that – and...

Vancouver Transit GMC bus cropped

GMC Fishbowl buses – North Vancouver BC

The photos we’ll be showing you in this report date from 1989 and were taken in North Vancouver BC. I’m at the Lonsdale Quay terminal, having just arrived by the cross harbour passenger ferry, and before heading out, I take time to photograph some buses passing by. Both of those...

P1000653 - cropped

Calgary then and now – First Baptist Church

It’s time for another trademark BIGDoer “then and now” report (we hope we aren’t overdoing them) and for this one we look at the First Baptist Church on the corner of 4th St and 13th Ave SW in Calgary. The first image is from 1914, early in the building’s history...

Lumberton BC tractor

Road Trip 1989!

Flashback to 1989, I am 24, single and living in Vancouver and I’m working hard. In fact for months on end I’d work every single day, sometimes a shift and a half. By the summer, I needed a break. I was burnt out and needed one bad! Time to take...

Boler camping trailer

Dirty Bolers

These two dirty, dusty Boler trailers were found south of Calgary in the small town of Nanton Alberta. They could use a good scrub and I predict a car wash is in their future. This was good day for Boler spotting and we saw four within a span of hours,...

Brick house downtown Calgary

Nine Houses

Out of the blue, Connie asked me one day, “How many houses do you think are left in downtown Calgary?” A good question…and with that a seed was planted. For days on end, I thought about it and thought about it some more. I vaguely recall seeing some…I think…at least...

Claresholm United Church

Claresholm then and now – United Church

In this article we’ll look at the United Church in Claresholm Alberta, first in the late 1940s or early 1950s and again today. It will be the second house of worship we’ll explore in this town. The original image is from an old postcard and while a number of things...

17 foot Boler trailer

Claresholm Boler #2

Our third Boler for 2014, this example was spotted in Claresholm Alberta in March. This is the less common 17 foot model, the largest made, which (IMO) is not as cute as its 13 foot brethren. This bigger model is just…well…too square and lacks that trademark egg shape. This would...

Claresholm Latter-day Saints Church

Claresholm then and now – Latter-day Saints Church

For this “then and now” report we travel down to Claresholm Alberta where we look at the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Church located in town. We have an old image, from some sixty years ago, showing the building, and many cool cars parked in front, and we return to it to...

Nanton AB Boler

Claresholm Boler #1

This Boler soaks up the sun in Claresholm Alberta. It was a gorgeous afternoon, the first warm and snow free day that we’ve seen in months and we relished the chance to get out and explore. Finding ourselves south of Calgary, we simply walked around this town to see what...

Greenwood smelter

Greenwood BC smelter – 1997

Seen from the neighbouring highway, deep slag piles and a tall stack mark the remains of the BC Copper Company Smelter in Greenwood (actually Anaconda) BC. The plant once operated 24hrs a day and one walking around the site can easily imagine those heady times when it was abuzz with...

Retallack BC

Another bowl of soup

Soup is a wonderful mix of ingredients brought together to make a tasty concoction. These similarly named posts are much the same, a fusion of pictures and experiences selected from our huge and varied pantry. For this “bowl of goodness” we’ll look at some old lime kilns, an International L...

Scalzo Collection CN Tower Edmonton

Edmonton Transit then and now – CN Tower

In our first picture, it’s 1973. We see an ETS trolley bus pass by the CN Tower in Edmonton and we visit that location to see what things look like today. We knew the building still stood, and buses still ran, so in some respects the scene then and now...

Trillium travel trailer

Not a Boler – a Trillium

This rough looking Trillium was found in a back alley in Calgary Alberta. It’s being worked on and appears to have some home-done modifications – the windows for one are different. In my opinion they still have a long way to go before it’s in proper shape. This “beauty” was...

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