Water Towers: Claresholm Alberta

Until recently we didn’t pay much attention to old water towers. Sure, there’s lots out there and we’ve even casually photographed a few, but always preoccupied with other things seemed to look right past the majority. Then it happened, a click moment (thanks Johnnie) and now they’re another obsession here at BIGDoer.com. Like we needed that! Eagerly searching them out, here it’s a “tin man” water tower found along the main drag in Claresholm Alberta.

Tin man? It’s the name given this particular style for its passing resemblance to the woodsman character in the Wizard of Oz. Yeah, we see it. For us, however, we’re also reminded of one of those (Acme) rockets Wylie Coyote used to strap himself to while chasing the Road Runner. Those cartoons are burned into our heads! In any case, the design proved to be popular and while they could be of differing capacities and heights, they all looked similar.

Claresholm’s tower dates back to 1909-1910 (sources differ a bit) and put with the town still in its infancy. It’s said the tower and pump together cost seventy six hundred dollars (so about the price of a tank of go-go juice today). That’d be about $180K in 2021 and so quite a bargain.

Fed via a ten kilometre pipe coming in from Willow Creek, old photos show the structure painted black. It’s said this was to help it absorb heat come winter so things didn’t freeze, but by the the 1950s it changed to silver.

As is customary, the town’s name shows proudly on the side of the tank. They used to do this with grain elevators too (Claresholm had many), so when visiting any prairie town, you always knew were you were just by looking up. This could be helpful for folks who liked to fly by the seat of their pants and not into useless tools like maps when on road trips (so the old man, for example).

With the installation of a new water system in the 1980s, the tower was no longer needed. An iconic symbol of the community, however, it was kept as reminder to what came before. It’s quite visible to passing motorist and really stands out.

The water tower makes many appearances in photos and postcards from the old days. In one, a gas station and (Dodge-DeSoto) car dealer were seen right across the road. I see a Then and Now in the making!

With the loss of the grain elevators, once located a bit north and similarly seen in many old pictures, it might now be the tallest thing around.

It’s not said what firm built the water tower, but it does appears to be a common design used by a number of steel erecting firms across North America. A quick non-scientific search shows many small towns once had a tin man tower like this (especially so on the prairies), with a good number still standing. The oldest we found predates this one by a few years, and the newest from the 1940s, but it appears most were of the 1910-1930 period. Some were taller, some were more squat, but they all have a family resemblance.

This design is characterized by the cylindrical shape, conical roof and rounded bottom atop four cross-braced support legs that taper outwards slightly. In function the system was incredibly simple. Water got pumped up to the tank as needed and from there gravity pressurised the system leading to homes and businesses. Easy, eh?

By the 1950s other designs came into wide-spread use, the Pedesphere (think: a giant golf ball atop a tee) being particularly popular for small town waterworks. Here’s an example: Airdrie’s Historic Water Tower.

The one wide angle view shows distortion coming from the (almost) fish-eye lens used. There’s real Dr Suess vibe there.

The vintage truck seen sits next to the highway just south of the tower. It’s old…check. It’s got character…check. That sky…check. I guess we have to photograph it! Those pesky powerlines though.

Claresholm is a modest-sized Southern Alberta community with a population today of about thirty eight hundred. When the tower was built it was hovering closer to a thousand. Along the busy Number #2 Highway, the town was once served by a Canadian Pacific Railway branchline. It’s farming county all around and always has been.

We happened to be staying in town when we captured these photos and our base that fine weekend was a quaint little motel called The Bluebird. We found the place so charming we decided it needs to be written about. Stay tuned for that article!

Know more about the community – we love visiting (new tab): Claresholm Alberta History.

They’re saying…

”Fantastic photos, really intriguing subjects. I’ve learned so much about Calgary and Alberta that I never knew even though I’ve lived here all my life!” Tom Junkin. (We cover BC and SK too!)

More small town scenes…
Barons School – It’s Super Man!
Exploring Viking – wandering small towns is out thing.
Prairie Sentinels – Tessier Saskatchewan – Love you SK!

If you feel like chatting or want more information on what you see here feel free to contact us!

Date of Adventure: October, 2020.
Location(s): Claresholm, AB.
Article references and thanks: Claresholm and District Museum and The Town of Claresholm.

On display along the highway.

Target: The water tower in Claresholm Alberta.

Over a century old, it’s no longer used.