Here’s the most northerly extant section of an unfinished railway line that was to run south from Calgary. Part of Canadian Northern Railway’s Alberta Midland,. it dates from the 1910s and a planned foray into southwestern Alberta. This was in competition with the dominate player in the region, Canadian Pacific Railway, but only two sections (separated and at each end) were ever built.
It’s that brush covered berm and somehow it escaped being obliterated when Deerfoot Trail was put in many decades ago.
Other sections of the the roadbed still exist, mostly outside the city and in the Fort MacLeod area. A short spur did see completion and served an explosives plant once located about where that large blue building is in the background. That’s an Ikea…mmmm, meatballs. Trains never went further south and the line never well documented, so it’s little known, even in railway circles.
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Beer Parlour Fridays: before Pilsner in Saskatchewan, there was Bohemian or simply Boh. For decades, it was the most popular beer in the province. Incidentally, both Pil and Boh were for decades products of Sick's Brewery. This Boh cap was found in the basement of an old hotel in SW Saskatchewan during a visit by the Beer Parlour Project. It celebrates the beer winning a prestigious best in world award in the late 1960s.
Beer Parlour Fridays: here's a standard issue cast-metal round-top Beer Parlour table. These were supplied through the liquor control board (who heavily regulated the business) and therefore could be found at most drinking establishments. They date back to the 1940s-1960s period and surprisingly, we still see them out there in the wild all the time. Often they were covered in terrycloth to help sop up spilled beer. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Beer Parlour Fridays: The Tompkin's SK Hotel/Lucky Loon Saloon, previously Woody's. It was just a drive by visit and not a stop on the recent Beer Parlour Project tour of SW Saskatchewan. Had it been open we would have checked it out, however. Celebrating old school watering holes at https://www.BeerParlourProject.com. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Beer Parlour Fridays: The Wildwood Hotel in Wildwood Alberta, built in the late 1950s to replace one that earlier burned down. Visited in October 2024 by Chris and Rob. Watch for this hotel and others appearing at https://www.BeerParlourProject.com. Celebrating old school watering holes!
Scroll down to the comments for more!👇 _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
A retro, all-metal playground in Burstall Saskatchewan. The rocking horse, aka the tooth chipper or shin buster, was perhaps the most dangerous. Chris says he still has scars from one. But on a summer's day, those slides could get as hot as a baking pan fresh from the oven and gave new meaning to the words toasted buns. If you survived this playground, you were ready to take on the world. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Date: 2024. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Very cool! A person doesn’t realize what is still left after all these years, sometimes in plain sight!
I’ve driven past it many times, but it never clicked. Then while scanning some old aerial photos, it became clear what it was.
A great find, thanks for finding this!