Crossley Slides: A Corner in Erlton

Presenting two comparison photos of the same intersection in Calgary, but shot sixty-three years apart. The dates are 1961 and 2024. There’s been plenty of change, but would anyone expect anything less in a city with such explosive growth? New replaces old and it’s a brutally swift process. Today’s Then image comes from the Crossley Slides (more in a moment) and it all happens in the inner-city community of Erlton.

There were many more single family dwellings in the neighbourhood back then (and in that of the Mission neighbourhood directly across the river) but there’s a lots of higher density housing now. This means condo blocks and condo towers, with more, no doubt, planned. Developers are always on the hunt and the money to be made is obscene.

Erlton was in fact Crossley’s neighbourhood and he lived only a couple blocks away. If his house existed today it would be smack dab in the middle of northbound Macleod Trail and his back yard on the LRT tracks. His place stood in the shadow of the Stampede Grounds and in looking at other photos from him, this close proximity meant he tolerated a week or two of chaos each year from that event. Streets clogged with people, cars and horses (yes horses).

John (or Jack) Crossley was a long-time photographer and on his passing some of his collection came into the hands of a friend of ours. We suspect they were headed to the dumpster otherwise. Our interest was piqued on hearing of this collection and what treasures it held.

Calgary street scenes? Photos from Sandon BC in the 1950s…and Nakusp? Sternwheelers? Shots from the Alberta Badlands from long ago? Would any inspire a Then & Now? Yes! Then we’re in! The original plan was to scan only those we thought as useful in that capacity, but in the end we digitized the entire lot.

Since we were there anyway and had nothing better to do (haha). The process took many weeks of spare evenings and in looking at the photos, it was time well spent.

Crossley’s collection spans the 1940s to 1980s period and most were shot on glorious Kodachrome stock. It’s some twelve hundred images deep and that’s a lot of scanning. The images were well done (he was an enthusiast) and in those magic shots are places we know well. It’s a match made it heaven and we’ll be putting them to good use.

And here’s the first Then & Now to come of his work…

The location is the corner of (at the time) 1st Street and 25th Avenue Southeast. Today it’s Erlton Street and 25th Avenue Southwest. The house dates to at least the 1910s and was gone by the 1980s. Old aerial photos at the city of Calgary were a great help and in part helped establish a timeline.

The old fellow on the porch may be one Mr Potter and who according to directories lived at this residence at the time. It’s also noted as the Potter House on the slide and this suggests that he and Crossley may have been connected in some way. Friends or something.

Look at that old style blue-metal street sign above the fellows head and these were common in the city once. They were used on corner houses in place of a sign pole and every once in the while, in older neighbourhoods, we find one still in place.

The old truss bridge on 25th Avenue was torn down shortly after Crossley’s photo and replaced by the open-deck span still in use today. This bridge, over the Elbow River, connects Erlton with Mission. They’re some of Calgary’s senior neighbourhoods and go back well over one hundred years.

Note all the big residential blocks that have popped up on the Mission side. It’s a trendy and by that association, a costly place to live.

The only element present in both photos, to help us connect the shots visually, is a small (relatively speaking) apartment block. It’s sort of obscured by bridge trusswork in the old photo but more visible in our shot. From a what’s left perspective it’s not much. To the left, old photo, you can see the orange apartment block (our photo) under construction.

The location of Mr Potter’s house was not redeveloped when his place was torn down and the land is now an access point for the Calgary Pathways system Elbow River segment.

We originally shot our now photo before the snow, but realized the apartment block used in helping line up the shot would not be visible due to foliage. Anyway, we should have a purist mindset and match seasons when we can. Yeah, that’s it and we’re serious in what we do. Damn near froze our digits off, but that’s how it goes.

Whereas many Crossley Slides are spotless, this one had some embedded dirt on the media itself and it would not come off. Therefor the image is imperfect but we felt it best to not do any post scanning clean up. It’s as is and this seems more honest.

This is the first T&N using the Crossley Slides as inspiration, but there will be more to come. Stay tuned. This one is a simple and nondescript street scene, yet it speaks so much of how Calgary has changed over the years. We can’t wait to get the slides from Sandon and area.

Kodak Kodachrome slide (or reversal) film is well regarded and was the choice of many serious 35mm photographers back it the day. The colours pop and the resultant image is inherently stable over time. These are qualities not always available with competing products (of the time).

Where as many reversal films of the era fade or colour shift with age (Kodak Ektachrome has entered the chat), Kodachromes usually look as good as the day they came back from the lab. It was a proprietary process and it came with a premium price, but the results speaks for themselves. The Crossley Slides are an amazing look into the mind of this photographer and his forethought in using a film that preserves the images well.

Know more about the neighbourhood (new tabs): Calgary Alberta Erlton and a little about the film Crossley used of which we speak of so fondly: Why is Kodak Kodachrome Legendary?.

They’re saying…

“Can we all take a moment to appreciate how great this website is?” Monica and Leslie (aw, shucks…thanks).

Then & Now overload…
Robsart Saskatchewan 61 Years Apart.
Coleman Miners’ Hospital 100 Years Apart.
Fort Museum Fort MacLeod Alberta.
Edmonton Transit: The Lodge Hotel.

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

Date of adventure: 1961 (Crossley) and December 2024.
Article references and thanks: J Crossley, Jason Sailer (keeper of the Crossley Slides), Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society, University of Calgary Archives, and the City of Calgary.

The first Crossley Slides Then & Now in Calgary Erlton.