There’s not much left of this tumbled down old cabin in the woods. The location is the Crownest Pass of Alberta and it’s not too far from the British Columbia border. Found along an old pack trail, the structure is seemingly connected to a small coal mine on the same property, of which we know little. Research did allow us to dig up a few snippets however. Get it – dig up – mine? How clever – man, we’re on point today!
Records call it the Camco Mine, owned by the Canadian-American Coal Company, and production spanned the years 1919 to 1941. Output was minimal and the small waste dump points to this. Records go on to state that coal was of questionable quality, with the seam thin and spotty. All this would suggest sporadic use and output may have been only for the person(s) doing the digging. The cabin was perhaps their home while on the job.
The sealed off mine entry is nearby and it’s not hard to see where it was there on the hillside. The site, well hidden in the trees, would be easy to miss if one didn’t know what they were looking for. We spotted remains of a very old car on the rough trail up to the mine, along with a dump not far away containing discarded cans. Where ever people have been, there will be something left behind.
This is an old article reposted and since we visited the site long ago, we’ve noted that this same coal firm had other small diggings in the area. Perhaps we need to go back and explore further. To that we say a resounding YES – we love the Pass.
Short Subjects: Reports a few paragraphs in length and brief in nature. Think silly little snippets, vignettes and things of that sort. You’ll be in and out in no time.
Beer Parlour Fridays 🍺: We're back on the road & read to on to see where we're going next!
Rob's broken leg is healing well & he's finally been cleared to move. Now all that whining he's been doing about being immobile will stop. 😜
He's seen here earlier capturing a moment with his big view camera at the Fife Lake Hotel, in Fife Lake Saskatchewan.
Up next... We'll be at the Acme Inn in Acme Alberta, Friday March 14th from about 2-3pm on. On Saturday March 15th we'll visit the Prairie Fire Cafe & Lounge at the Clive Hotel, Clive Alberta. We'll also starting there in the afternoon & will hang around both well into the night.
The project is a lighthearted take on old-school hotel bars from the Beer Parlour era & is shot using vintage & modern gear. We dig up some history, get to know the owners, chat with patrons, eat a few chicken wings, & capture the vibe on film & digital. https://www.BeerParlourProject.com
If you have any interesting stories to share about either of these hotels, drop by on those days or message us for more information. We'd love to interview you. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
Beer Parlour Project Friday🍺: Today we look at the Fife Lake Hotel in little Fife Lake Saskatchewan.
It's almost a century old & has been owned by the same couple for more than half that time. After fifty years on the job they'll be retiring in March & we'll post more about this later in the day.
The Fife Lake hotel is the only business in town (population a couple dozen), & is famous for its money-wall. There must be thousands of dollars up there & if it continues to grow they might run out of space. The hotel is also known for its cook-your-own steak pit (yummy).
Downtown Cadillac Saskatchewan over 100 years apart (1910s & 2024). Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- Cadillac dates to the early 1910s & was founded with the coming of the railway. In the Then photo it's very much a new town. - There appears to be only one building from the earlier photo that is standing (right). - The original hotel seen in back, in the old photo, burned down in the 1940s & was replaced by the current (smaller) structure. There's a photo of it in the comments. - This Then & Now was capture in off moments, while shooting an episode of the Beer Parlour Project at the Cadillac Hotel. See: https://www.BeerParlourProject.com/cadillac-hotel-cadillac-saskatchewan/
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments! Photo credit: Appears to be an old postcard - unattributed. _______
The things you find walking old railway lines (2012). Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- This old car was found near the rail trail a bit outside Rowley Alberta. - It seems to have vanished in recent years. - The grain elevators are still there & the whole town is worth a visit. Especially on Pizza Night. See you there!
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments! _______
What a view! Picklejar Lakes in Kananskis about a 100 years apart (1920s & 2024). Exploring history & nature with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- There's actually four Picklejar Lakes & this one is the first. - On Google maps they have some creative names - this one is Polski Ogorki Lake & another is Baby Dill Lake. - It's about a 11km round trip hike to the first lake from Highway #40. A bit of a climb too. - Fishing here is said to be so easy, that it’s suggested one could use an empty picklejar to scoop them up - hence the name. We can attest to that, especially at the third lake - we watched anglers & nearly every cast resulted in a hit.
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments!
Bless the frugal farmer! Their ability to make something useful from cast offs & junk is legendary. 🚜
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
This home-brew tractor was found in 2014 in southern Alberta. - While not pretty, it seems functional. - It's constructed using various bits salvaged off an older tractor (or tractors), plus car parts, pipes & angle iron. - That's a part of an engine hanging off the steering axle & it's there to help provide some front end weight presumably. - A local told us the fellow who built it used it up until the time they passed on.
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments! _______
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