This post has been updated and can be found here: CPR Bow River Bridge (Abandoned). They’re saying… β…Chris & Connie do an amazing job on studying their subject matter.β Rik Barry (Time Air Historical Society). Keeping the theme (BC edition)… Big Eddy Bridge Revelstoke BC. Bridge Hunting: Brilliant BC. Three...
Languishing in a farmer’s field with a number of other trailers and boats, this little grey egg was found while we were out exploring random back roads and highways on the plains just east of Calgary. A large crack appears above the door and it looks like some repairs, rather...
Recent flooding in the region had us scrambling for a place a hike. Most of Kananaskis was off limits or inaccessible due to heavy damage from that event, leaving very few options open. With that in mind, Brown Lowery Provincial Park seemed like a good objective, a place we’ve been...
Unless you’ve been living on the moon you have no doubt heard about the floods that ravaged many parts of Alberta in late June 2013. Record rainfall and melting snow pack in the mountains unleashed a torrent of water with nearly every river and stream overflowing its banks. Many low...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
It’s been a while since we posted any phones here, so I though it time to show some. I’ve been keeping busy fixing them all this time, just for some reason I did not document it. This report covers two rotary phones brought in by the same customer Both these...
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...
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...
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...
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...
This post has been retired for an updated version, and it can be found here: Superman 1978: Cemetery Scenes. Still, we’ll keep the comments up for your enjoyment. They’re saying… “Criminally underrated and overlooked. A hidden gem.” Chris A. Random awesomeness… A Few (Frigid) Minutes in Trochu Alberta. Railway Grave...
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 β there are trails to hike, mountains and ridges to summit and lots of historical sites to explore. Plus, as it turns out, a...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 β hard! This one was seen in June 2013, in Coleman Alberta in the historic Crowsnest...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Calgary’s Heritage Park is a wonderful living history museum. With so many exhibits and things to explore, it would be hard to see it all in a single day. Many movies and TV shows have been shot here, including the mid 1970s CBC mini series, the National Dream. For this...
Silently standing vigil for almost ninety years, the lonely grain elevator at Kirkpatrick Alberta is a survivor. It outlasted the rail line it used to sit along and has endured while so many other wooden elevators on the prairies have fallen. Privately owned, this is no doubt the reason why...
Dorothy Alberta is a charming little town β not quite a ghost town but pretty darn close. It’s home to a number of well known and often photographed landmarks, in particular its two quaint churches and the solitary grain elevator that looms over the highway. Under gorgeous blue skies we...
This Boler, held together in places with liberal amounts of duct tape, could perhaps use a little TLC. A 17′ model, which we have been seeing a lot of lately, it looks a little rough around the edges but is probably not that bad off. The beauty of a Boler...
It pays to look down. Here's old signage from Penny's Home Furnishings Wetaskiwin Alberta (real pennies too) and the oldest coin seems to be from the '60s. This firm operated in the 1980s-1990s and the building then used intermittently by other businesses. It was empty on our visit.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2020. Posted by Johanna (Connie).
In the sparsely populated dry belt region of Eastern Alberta. These are the only trees for miles around and the nearest neighbour is well over the horizon. No joke! This fairly modern ranch house stood empty on our visit and soon after was torn down. The owners retired and moved on a few years prior.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2019. Posted by Johanna (Connie).
The town of Stavely Alberta is found just over one hundred kilometres south of Calgary and to those travelling the #2, most noteworthy for its huge grain elevator there beside the highway. It canβt be missed but at the same time, it sort of hides downtown.
Many of of buildings seen there are of of a rather substantial brick construction and most date from the mid 1920s. They were built after a fire swept through town, destroying the business district and the rules for new construction changed so it didnβt happen again. Wood was no longer allowed.
More info about the town and a bonus photo in the commentsπ
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Johanna (Connie). Town of Stavely
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 π
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.
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