Fort Macleod Alberta ~75 Years Apart

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.

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.

Know more about this historic town (new tab): Historic Fort Macleod Alberta.

They’re saying…

”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.

More T&Ns…
CPR Crowsnest Railyard (Summit Lake).
Downtown Castor Alberta (Cosmopolitan Hotel).
Old Slocan Highway.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: Contact Us!

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.

Downtown Fort Macleod Alberta roughly 75 years apart.

Most of the structures seen today, like the Empress Theatre, were also present then.

The two story Meat Market & Leather Blocks are key buildings in the comparison.

The Queens Hotel dates back 120 years.

At the far end of downtown & looking back (the night before).