Welcome to another (hopefully) fun and informative BIGDoer.com Then & Now! In this instalment we’re looking at downtown Fort Macleod Alberta and comparing two shots taken roughly seventy five years apart. This community is timeless and incredibly appears little changed over time.
Take a look for yourself!
The Then photo comes thanks to our friends at the University of Calgary Archives and while dated by them at ca1930, we’re convinced it’s a little newer. So from the 1940s era is our hunch and of course we’ll explain soon enough.
Fort Macleod Alberta ~75 Years Apart: it looks the same! With Chris Doering & Connie Biggart (BIGDoer/Synd)
A big thanks to “Hans Schoendorfer” for sponsoring our site and making posts like this possible. Be like the Hans…
Still the original photo is from a long time ago. The world zips by ever faster and faster, yet here in Fort Macleod the clock has stopped.
Given the historic nature of downtown it’s no wonder that a number of movie and TV productions have filmed here. It’s been used in the latest Ghostbusters movie, the series Fargo and most recently the Last of Us.
Then! We’re looking up Main Street and from about the southern edge of downtown. An Imperial service station can be seen on the right and advertises British-American products.
On the opposite side of the street it’s the sign from a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile dealer. We believe this to be a firm called Scougall Motors which now exists elsewhere in town and still carries the GM banner. They’re dealers for Chevrolet, GMC and Buick now.
The sign below the lamp post, kitty corner, reads: “Trucks and heavy traffic this way only” with an arrow pointing up Main. Another, below the B/A banner reads Tourist Information.
A lady, perhaps pushing a baby carriage(?), and a child are seen strolling in front of the gas station. Further in back a good line of cars can be seen. The town looks busy.
Buildings of note on that side of the street, included the Empress Theatre built in 1912 (the marquee is prominent) and the Queens Hotel from 1903. It’s furthest in back and the tallest, most prominent block in town.
It was common to give one’s business a royal sounding moniker back then and especially common for hotels back then. You’ll see the Queens or Queen Victoria, King Edward (or King Eddy), King George or various regal titles used at times.
Worthy of mention and perhaps the main reason for the UofC dating the photo as they did, is the old car seen turning towards the shooting position. We suspect it’s just a random old vehicle that made it into the frame and not indicative of the era stated.
That car displays a bit of motion blur, but it’s most definitely from the late 1920s/early 1930s period. Because it’s not clear and sharp, however, we’re not certain we could even accurately ID the vehicle. A lot of them back at the time had similar lines (wait, that’s always been the case), so it could be a real time waster figuring what it is. A bug has been planted, so maybe one day…
Not that long ago we’d ask for experts to chime in via the comments, but those were sadly turned off last year due to abuse. It’s too bad some folks ruined it because it grew to be great forum to learn more and chat with interesting readers, but now it’s gone.
Circling back – this car distracts from other elements in the scene that suggests it was captured at a later date. It’s probably not that important in the grand scheme of things, to most people, but if we didn’t examine it, that nagging inner voice would never shut up. Obsess much?
Vehicles further in back have a definite ’40s vibe. The hair and clothing styles on the lady by the gas station similarly appear of that era. Finally, the gas station pump seems to match models from that decade.
All these elements are either too small or far in the distance to make out with a hundred percent certainty, but still it’s hard to ignore. Any phone book entries we found for visible businesses seem to corroborate that conclusion. For example, the gas station does not seem to make mention earlier, but does show up in later editions from about the time we’re thinking of. That sort of stuff.
We’re not sure who was behind the original image but that someone wrote the town’s name near the bottom suggests it was for promotional purposes. The UofC has nothing to add on this matter.
Now! Not much has changed from the original image. Wow! The service station and a few other buildings in the foreground are no more, yet over all, the vibe is the same. Even the lampposts today are not all that different from the earlier ones.
We’ve done these types of comparisons countless times and it’s common for there to be more change than we see here. In some ways it’s as though the clock has stood still and it’s a bit odd in a way. Like Twilight Zone eerie.
The Empress is still a functioning theatre and you know, one day we’re going to have to check it out. Even we wonder why that’s not happened yet. The building is original in form and a real throwback to another time.
The Queens Hotel was in business up until recently, but sold shortly before our 2022 visit and as we type this, undergoing restoration. We’re not sure exactly to what end, but reports and local chit-chat speaks of it reopening as a boutique hotel of some sort. That’s down the road. The dive image is being dropped for something more upscale we guess. BTW, we love dives.
We had actually approached the Queens a few years back in anticipation of the Beer Parlour Project (Here!), which is now in full swing, but nothing came of it unfortunately. Opportunity lost.
The Empress and the Queens have been historically recognized and so have a number of other buildings seen in this post. Downtown Fort Macleod is one big collective of places identified as being significant in that way.
Nothing in the front of the scene matches up in the photos, yet by measuring key elements present in the two images, suggests we’re close to the the right spot. The cross-street and the position of the building in front on the left, seems to contradict this, so we’re not sure what to say there. That’s how it goes sometimes.
The Now image was shot early on a Sunday morning and it was dead quiet. We had attempted the evening before but the streets were just too busy to pull it off.
Downtown Fort Macleod was happening and the theatre, craft brewery (oh, we have to stop in there sometime) plus various eateries were all quite busy. Parked vehicles blocked the view but next morning there was almost none on the street.
Hope you enjoyed this trip through time and we’ll be back with another like it soon enough. We thoroughly enjoy making these and when they work as well as this one it’s an even bigger thrill. Stay tuned for more from Fort Macleod and we’re not done with the town yet. Not by a long shot.
”Thank you so much for your fantastic articles and photos. Alberta and BC are dear to my heart. I could spend 24/7 here with you…especially love the before and after articles. Keep up the great work guys!!” Byron Robb.
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Date of adventure: 1940s (original) and 2022 (Team BIGDoer). Location: Fort Macleod, Alberta. Article references and thanks: University of Calgary Archives, Book – Fort Macleod Our Colourful Past II, Alberta Culture & Multiculturalism and the Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society.
(A long read) After twelve years it's time to put a face to the name and come clean on something. That's rarely-seen Chris in the photo, one half of Team BIGDoer, my best friend for almost thirty years and orchestrator of everything you see here. For his entire adult life, he's battled a deep depression.
Mostly it's manageable, but there are extended bouts where it's crippling and his life comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes there are days or weeks where he's lost. Sleep does not come easy at this time and further aggravates the issue. As he ages, it's worsening and seems intent on destroying him from the inside.
If you see a lack of posts here, or ones poorly worded, confusing or simply off, it's from one of these periods.
Through all this, he remains as kind, thoughtful and loving as ever, but is somewhere else. To the family, it's just Chris and accepted as it should be. The kids and grandkids adore him no less. Until today, however, this has been hidden from the outside world, although closer friends and some readers were probably already suspect of his condition. I hope admitting this does not break the site.
He finds clarity when we're out and doing things, hiking or documenting something historic and it's only THE reason this page and our website exists. It's therapy. Then he's a new and passionate person, but the monster as he calls it always returns. The Beer Parlour Project has brought out a side I've never seen and when out in the field he's never been so on point and confident.
This post is not for sympathy but to inform. Just so you know where he is and here's what you can do to help (a last ditch request)...
If you see a missed comma or oddly worded sentence in a post, please be kind. You'll probably see his uncertainty when he's off and be nice there too. But if you like what you see, even if the write up could be presented better, post your encouragement. Say something and say it loud...it's important and will keep him sharing. Help Chris get better by cheering him on.
Other than some photos that are mine, everything else comes from him. All the tiring research and the writing (he admits he's NOT a writer), are his.
Chris puts every dollar he makes into this "project of a lifetime", and it's supplemented by donations from readers who enjoy the content. If you want to help...
Admittedly he was not thrilled with the idea of posting this but agrees it probably should be said, even if it makes him uneasy. He doesn't like appearing in photos either. He's so shy, thinks he looks goofy and hates his husky eyes. I love them and they're windows into a wonderful, complex and quiet, but tortured soul. It breaks my heart when he's in a bad space.
This image comes thanks to photographer Arturo Pianzola and was captured while exploring the historic Riverview Mental Hospital in Coquitlam BC. Chris thought since he was in the area last year, he'd stop by to visit with a grandfather he never really knew, who spent his last years at the facility and is buried on the grounds.
Thanks for listening and your understanding. Hopefully we'll see you next week. Johanna (Connie).
Journey of Natty Gann (Disney 1985) and the same location in the Crowsnest Pass 2014. We're visiting the Pass over the new year, as we often do, and this time we'll be staying at a house that appears (briefly) in the film. How cool, eh? Chris has decided it's time on this visit to reshoot this and other Natty Gann comparison shots we did from ten years ago. Stay tuned!
This scene was shot in historic downtown Coleman and shows the former Holyk's Grocery. It was built in the early 1900s and the store closed in the '60s. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
From 2015. Rob Pohl and his strange old-style view camera joined us in documenting the Laing House (with permission). Head down to the comments to see an amazing coincidence with something I found inside.
From the Crossley slides, it's an undated view of Towers School, out near Cluny Alberta. It was originally called Swastika School but that's before the word and symbol were ruined by negative connotations. Built 1922. Gone? _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
The same alley in downtown Calgary's west end, in the 1970s & today. You have to look hard to see the connection! The area was quite run down back then and is in stark contrast to all the shiny condo towers seen present day. Calgary Place West, an apartment block, appears in both images although it's barely a sliver in ours. Check the comments for more info.
Photo credit: James Tworow collection. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
Lost highways (2022): a section of old #93 in Southeastern BC. That BIGDoer-mobile is gone now but quite famous and had a following of its own. Old mine roads, cow paths, 4x4ing across fields - no problem and people would recognize us out in remote areas just by this car. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
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