Green Door Ranch

The road in is rough, more a cart track than anything. Bouncing along for many kilometres there’s nothing as far as the eye can see. Then come to the edge and look down. Way down. Drop into a valley, the track steep, narrow and precipitous. It’s something very logging road like if not for the fact we’re in the middle of the prairies. If wet, it’d be impassable. Tiptoe as we go, watching for deep fissures and potholes, slumped hillsides and sharp tire-shredding rocks, disaster one wrong move away. This is no place for timid drivers.

Then…target sighted! Arrive at the Green Door Ranch, step out into the oven. It’s thirty some degrees this day and you could grill a steak on your hood. Whoa, feeling a bit light headed. Heat’s not the only problem – they warned us to watch for Rattlers and cacti underfoot too. Damn difficult conditions here. But it’s what we do and if the going gets tough, so be it. We have a calling.

First off, we’re forced to be a little vague in regards to the location (the Alberta Badlands is all we can say), and in mentioning names and stuff. The property, even if isolated, has been subject to vandalism and theft, so we do this, and it’s at the request of the landowner, in order to protect it. Does anyone else find it troubling we even have to take these measures? We sure do.

The Ranch dates back to the early 1900s. It was founded by a rather offbeat life-long bachelor fellow who came here from England by way of Mexico and the Southwest US. If he wanted to be alone, he picked the right spot. Then as now, it’s one remote place, located in a wide and very scenic valley set below the flat and endless plains.

Down here it’s desert like conditions, and not all that dissimilar to what he was used to when he lived further south. Prickly and scratchy things abound, and it’s bone dry most of the year. They raised cattle in these challenging conditions.

Our first view of the Green Door Ranch, Alberta Badlands.

With the the death of the owner only a few years later, the operation was taken over by the ranch foreman. Born in the US, it’s said he was a jovial fellow, and he remained here in the cattle business until he too passed away many decades later (by then he was in his 80s). He never raised a family and lead what must have been a lonely existence, fellow cowpokes and the odd visitor his only company. Seems his brothers showed up from time to time. Except for one lady who worked at the ranch in the early days, acting as a sort of business manager it’s said, it was mostly the domain of the single man.

The buildings, and they’re many, are made of logs and are all quite primitive. The odd Cottonwood, the only trees around, provided some of the building materials. The river brought in the rest. Roofs are of sod (and cacti). It’d be cozy for sure, but oh so dusty and dirty.

In the upper group are the dwellings. There’s one central building with a kitchen flanked by others that appear as bunkhouses. Lower ones look to be for storage or were animal pens. Everything’s in pretty good shape overall, weathered and cracked, but with no signs of rot (thanks arid conditions). It rains infrequently here and come winter it’s cold but generally with little snow. The rest of the time it’s hot as Hades, the sun beating down mercilessly most days. Vegetation is mostly mixed grasses and sage.

There’s zero creature comforts at the Ranch. Water was collected from the river and the facilities were over there in the brush.

The Ranch was last occupied in the 1940s. Recall the foreman passed at this time. Then it was simply abandoned and has been empty ever since.

Found left behind are some odds and ends, that old stove, some crude bunk beds and other “rustic” furnishings. Newspaper and magazine fragments are scattered about and are used as makeshift wallpapers. Old shipping boxes have been repurposed as shelves, foot lockers, stools or whatever. They carry the markings of Canadian Canners and Fels-Naptha Soap, among others. Windows are small and the interiors dimly lit. Anything painted is green. There must have been a sale. Just found out – seems the paint is recent and was done by the owner of the property.

Given the remote location and the difficulty in getting there, the Ranch has understandably seen very few visitors over the years. Still, we manged to find some photos of it both when lived in and later when empty. One shows a 1950s land-barge of a car parked in front of the place. How they got in is beyond me – I doubt the road in was any better back then*. Others show some Badland adventurers from the 1970s exploring the ranch. Picture cut off jean shorts and big thick ‘staches.

One thing stood out, everything’s little changed over the years. In fact, even those images showing it when lived in have it looking much as it does today. Things decay slowly here and everything’s well preserved.

Prairie Sage.

The Green Door Ranch has been on our radar for eons, ever since a friend, who visited it in the 1970s, tipped us off as to its location. But knowing where was only part of the equation. Getting permission to use the private road in was the biggest difficulty. The owners, understandably, are reluctant to allow visitors account of problems in the past and the worry that it’ll happen again.

Then driving in was another issue. If something went wrong it could spell disaster. No cell service out this way and the looong walk back to the land owner’s house, in the scorching heat that day would be something akin to a death march. The Badlands are unforgiving.

Joining us this adventure is good friend and master photographer Rob Pohl. He’s that guy, recall, who shoots large format film that makes an appearance on this website from time to time. We greatly admire his work. And he’s always a blast to hang with. His truck came in handy here too. This is no place for the BIGDoer-mobile. A car, on this road? No way!

*In legend it’s said a fellow in more recent times, in a rental car no less, once made it in and out successfully.

More middle of nowhere stuff…
80 Year Empty.
The Howe Place.
St Elias – a former Monastery.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: July, 2017.
Location: The scenic but cruel Alberta Badlands.
Article references (and thanks): Glenbow Archives, Collections Canada, Dorothy F.
The Green Door Ranch is on private property. BIGDoer.com visited with permission.

Prickly stuff on the roof, and underfoot too.

There’s numerous buildings on the property.

The “Ranch” dates back to the early 1900s.

Logs (hard to come by here) were the primary building materials.

An animal pen?

We were warned to watch for snakes.

Odds and ends left behind.

One for the Lawless!

What’s that up there…Fels Naptha Soap.

A fine old stove.

Green door! Old can makes a little shelf.

An old shipping box…

And another, reused…

A Christian Science Monitor edition circa 1932.

Dino bones?

Everything’s in pretty good shape thanks to the dry conditions.

Got a few owies this day.

Your author is hard to miss.

Green is a theme.

View out to the Badlands.

What’s in a name…

They must have found a deal on paint.

Such a scenic place.

Good friend and photographer Rob Pohl.

Everything’s tinder dry.

Stark, yet beautiful.

Detail shot!

Resting in the shade.

Some old spike…

The buildings have been vacant since the 1940s.

Zen Master Rob’s old-school film camera.

Making our way out of the valley on a rough cart track.