Downtown Coleman Alberta 100 Years Apart

We like a good round number and this Then & Now spans one full century. Not ninety one, not ninety seven, but one hundred years exactly separates the two images seen. The original was shot in spring and ours on the morning of the very last day of 2023, but that’s a trivial spread. We’re in downtown Coleman Alberta, dawn has broke and there’s no one about but us.

Here, we’ll do an inventory of buildings seen in the old photo, that are still standing today and that’s all two of them. That’s it, but a long time has passed, so it should come as no surprise there’s been change. One structure differs slightly from it’s original form, but still instantly recognizable and the other in a form much as it was.

This was going to be a traditional Then & Now where the angle and composition of the original is duplicated as close as possible, but it never worked to our satisfaction. We tried and tried over several visits. So here, it’s a slightly different approach but still informative and fun (hopefully).

The Then photos comes thanks to the University of Calgary and for this, we send our thanks. It’s dated May 31st, 1923 and captioned: “Crowsnest River overflowed its banks, leaving East Coleman under three feet of water. After this occurrence, the courses of the river and Nez Perce Creek were changed to avoid further flooding.” By the calendar it’s a Thursday.

To the left it’s the Coleman Hotel, gone for who knows how many decades now, and the property present day an empty lot. The business last makes mention in phone books in the 1960s. At the time of the original photo and according to Alberta Government Telephone records, it housed the only pay phone in town.

Note the barricade put up beside the building to help direct away water and debris.

A small group of people can be seen beside the building and down there by the base of the line pole. If you squint. Another person can be seen walking down the street close to mid frame and just in behind and a little to the right of the silent policeman. That the thing in the middle of the road and it’s supposed to help with the flow of auto traffic. No cars this day as the road looks impassable.

Nez Perce Creek runs a couples blocks to the east and rarely more than a trickle. For it to contribute to the mess, it must have really overflowed its banks. The Crowsnest River is hundreds of metres away and at a slightly lower elevation, so for it to flood town also means it was running incredibly high. A late spring melt of heavy snowpack in nearby mountains seems a probable cause. Maybe it rained too as it’s apt to do that time of year.

It looks like the water is still flowing when the old photo was captured but we could also be looking at what’s left behind after it receded. If the former, it means the photographer is standing in the current – the roads here all slope down towards and past this position.

If the latter, you’re looking at wet mud, rocks, bits of trees and trash swept here by fast flowing currents. It’s hard to tell in the photo which state it’s in.

1) Coleman Mercantile: built in 1904 and one of the first major buildings in town. It was general store and sold anything and everything. You name it – groceries, hardware, clothing, farm supplies and who knows what else. In 1913 the business closed but a few other operators tried their hands at similar businesses here, before the last of them called it quits in the late 1930s.

A few years later it became Modern Electric, and it functioned into the 1970s by all appearances. Modern Electric: “Everything Electrical – Hardware and Furniture.” It’s not clear what occupied the building in more recent times but it’s now Country Encounters Accommodations, a B&B/guest house kind of place. Looks really nice inside and with such character.

The building lost its cupola in the late 1940s and with that something distinctive lost. It’s not clear if in any configuration, whether the upstairs functioned as part of what ever business was in the building, or if used as accommodations by the owners. Or whomever.

The building retains most of it original look and charm. In the one now photo, the Grand Union Hotel can be seen next door and it was a subject for the Beer Parlour Project late last fall. Had a blast! Go here to know more about this crazy project: It Continues: Grand Union Coleman AB. Bluff (Goat) Mountain is seen in back.

2) St Paul’s United Church: originally St Paul’s Presbyterian when built in 1906 but changed when a number of denominations in the county amalgamated. This happened in 1925.

The last regular services held here appears to have happened many decades ago but the exact date not certain. Records suggest the congregation was active into the late 1970s or perhaps a bit longer. What the building is used for today, if anything, is unclear.

The stucco cladding dates from the 1980s and somewhere underneath, there’s an original clapboard siding hidden away. Perhaps it was something necessary but is nowhere near attractive as it used to be. We’ve seen the old photos!

The church manse (housing for the minister) can be see to the right in our photo but this building sort of hidden from view in the old one. The former Coleman Fire Station is also seen in back, on the left, and it’s been made into someone’s home. It dates from 1905 and took on the form you see presently in the 1930s.

The other buildings seen in the old photo and what became of them are both unknowns. Any buildings standing today in their place have no passing resemblance, although in some cases, what ever is there also appears quite old.

The whole time this adventure played out I don’t think we saw more than one passing vehicle. The B&B place was serving breakie – we could smell it and see through the window and it was wonderful for both senses. We stood there mouths wide open and thinking of a way to try to pass ourselves off a guest. I’m sure they wouldn’t notice if we grabbed a plate’s worth.

It’s the morning of new year’s eve and some family time calls. Before going we look around at a familiar scene, a place we’ve visited often, histrionic downtown Coleman and each time it brings joy.

We’ve celebrated new year in the Pass for the last twenty or so years, and always seem to find ourselves exploring these very streets at some point on those visits. Like this. It’s usually at some ungodly hour and done rather impulsively. We’re rather enamoured with the vibe and it just draws us in each time.

Know more about the town (new tab): Historic Coleman Alberta (We’re in ❤ with the Pass).

They’re saying…

”You have more energy and more dedication than anyone. This is a magical website!” Johnny Dutch.

Random awesomeness…
Molly Hughes by the Lake (Ag-Pb-Zn-Au).
Shaunavon Saskatchewan ~70 years apart.
Three Hills (Alberta) @ Dawn.

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

Date of Adventure: May 1923 (them) and December 31st, 2023 (us).
Location(s): Coleman, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: University of Calgary Archives, Provincial Archives of Alberta, Discover Crowsnest Heritage, Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society and the book Crowsnest and Its People by the Crowsnest Pass Historical Society.

Downtown Coleman Alberta in 1923 (photo UofC).

1) Formerly Coleman Mercantile and now minus its cupola.

2) St Paul’s Church dates back to 1906.

2) Originally Presbyterian, it became a United Church in the 1920s.

1) Home to Country Encounters – Grand Union Hotel behind.