Highway Gas
We’re in Monarch Alberta standing alongside what was once a busy highway made quiet on being rerouted many years ago. And we’re studying the remains of a small gas station that once served the needs of passing motorists that today stands silent and forgotten. It’s been a while since anyone stopped here. The highway’s way over there across the river and no one on it gives the town so much as a second thought. Need fuel? Go to nearby Lethbridge. With the traffic gone, so goes business.
This station is pure old school. There’s an open island out front where a couple pumps once stood. No protection from rain or snow here. The building has a service bay. You could get tires installed, a fan belt swapped out, or what service, maintenance or repairs you might need. Hungry? This ain’t no grocery store although they probably had a Coke machine for those a bit thirsty. That’s it, plain and simple and quite the contrast to the huge convenience store/gas bars of today. And service is done at your dealer, a Canadian Tire superstore or some place like that.
This is just a brief look at the place. We’re currently looking to track down the owner to see if we can do a more in depth article. This is a rare building today and feel it needs better coverage. We already picture how we’d approach it – lit up, an old car out front. That sort of thing. Something ambitious.
Petroleum history…
Turner Valley gave us gas!
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.
If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: October, 2018.
Location: Monarch, AB.
The old Gas Station in Monarch Alberta.
It’s all quiet now that highway has by-passed town.
Our pipeline crew got in a fight with locals in the bar and it never reopened.🍺
Oh you trouble makers!
Love the black & white Chris!
Thank you. It just seems to work better.
I remember that station. My mom would go there because of the price of gas. And they were friendly. That place was a Hamlet I believe when I was living not to far north of it.
Thanks for sharing your memories!
Sometimes “the good old days” is a myth or a poorly-remembered dream. These old gas stations, though, were part of the real good old days.
Indeed, but if anything things were simpler. No argument there. I remember stopping at stations just like this when on road trips with the folks.
They were a lot more interesting.
No argument here. Those big convenience store/gas bar places seems so sterile and soulless.
I remember stopping in Monarch all the time. It used to be the “Claresholme” of the day. Everyone stopped there.
And now you pass it right by. They’re talking of doing the same to Claresholm by the way, and Nanton too.
Great shots!
Thank you so much!
I remember driving to Monarch during a Sunday drive, several years ago. Things weren’t open since it was Sunday, but I wish I could have gone into the old stores I saw, and bought some things. Wonderful drive, nice and hilly, gorgeous area of Alberta.
Awesome! It is a wonderful part of the province.
I lived in Monarch for 10 yrs when i was growing up…i remember taking a fake signed note from my dad there so i cld get smokes….the owner caught on but still gave them to me lol.
Tisk, tisk! That’s hilarious!
I’ve photographed that station before… There is a hotel next to it which may or may not be open… As I recall there is one church in the town that appears to be “in business”… And people do still live there.
If that’s the hotel just north of the old gas station, it looks like someone is turning it into a home.
Older was better (I have to say that).
You know, we hear that a lot!
The people that owned the garage also had an ice cream stand that we use to stop at in the summer. Great little place.
That’s cool! Mmmm, ice cream…
I can relate to that. My hometown, Rosedale BC, went through that when the 401 Freeway was built in 1960. Prior to that, the Trans-Canada Highway went right through Rosedale, then it was by-passed. There are no remaining gas stations, and the lone motel closed down many years ago.
All in the name of progress I suppose…
It’s sad that a simple stroke of the pen can seal a business’s fate. Reroute the highway and the community starts to dry up. I’ve seen several communities in Saskatchewan and, closer to home, Warner, wither and die. People start to move away, businesses close, then the churches and the school closes. Some call it progress, while in reality, it’s a crying shame…
If the highway goes, it’s a death sentence for sure. So many town have seen this very thing happen.
Interesting tidbit, Monarchs water tower used to be here in Taber. It was moved in the early 80’s.
Oh, interesting! Did not know. We shot the tower at the same time and we’ll post those pics soon.
As a kid, I probably went to this service stn. I used to live not far away in a hamlet called Sterling.
Yes, Stirling. Been there many times…interesting RR Museum there.
I spent a summer there rebuilding the towns sewer system so we had the whole town ripped up.The old fella in the gas station rented us spots right behind his garage for our trailers and motorhomes and supplied us with firewood from the popular trees he trimmed daily.He told us some good stories and sadly he was very old so dont think hes around anymore.I could tell you stories from a summer in that town.Hell….I could write a book on the town and its people and we had names for all of them.The best story is why our crew fought the town in the local bar and it never reopened after that faithfull day.it involves a local growing some weed in his yard and some young labourers that decided to steal the towns weed supply and it didnt go over well.
This is amazing Randy! What great stories and memories. That must have been quite the beer brawl!
I remember when that station was still open. Such a cool building.
We looked for old photos of when it was open but came up empty. Would have loved to seen how it looked.
Grandparents used to live there, I remember hearing the train and riding my bike as fast as I could to go see it.
So you’re not the only one? When I heard a train I booked it to the tracks too. But in a different town.
I miss the old pop machines where you pulled it through the maze before you could get it out of the “pop chest”.
Yes! And those others that looked like a fridge and you pulled out your selection, which laid flat, through a gate.
I grew up in monarch. It was the only place to get snacks and rent movies. The hotel down the way was great for eat in or take home food when it was open.
Wow, thanks for adding to the story! Didn’t know that.
Went here several times as a kid ! I Can vividly remember my dad buying smokes on the way home from work and me getting coffee crisp chocolate bars ! Cool post !
Yup, that’s how it was for us too. Tanking up, smokes for the folks, a coke maybe and a chocolate bar for each of is kids.