The berms seen in these photos are some of the last remnants of the former Grand Trunk Pacific Railway line into downtown Calgary. Built in the early 1910s, the track came from Northern Alberta (near Edmonton), entered the city in the east, before bending northwards and paralleling the Bow River. It terminated at what is present day the site of Fort Calgary/The Confluence. It was a fort, a railway yard and is a fort again.
Last used in the 1970s, redevelopment has obliterated much of the former line. Where there were tracks is now housing, pathways and green spaces. Still, every now and then, there’s subtle reminders, including what’s seen here. One section of the old roadbed is next to a baseball field and the other in behind a condo complex. They don’t look like much, unless you know, then it’s clear and recognizable. A long skinny park marks a third section and any remains of the line here are completely gone.
The Grand Trunk Pacific folded into Canadian National Railways in the early 1920s. The current end of what was this same line ends a little further south from our photo positions.
The is one of those older articles lost to that big database crash and it’s reposted here as new.
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.
With many of our projects put on hold, we struggled to keep busy. How about we roam the city doing a super-casual inventory of 1950s-1960s era zig-zag & wave roof buildings? It seemed like a good idea, but many called it silly. Like we've never heard that before.
These quirky designs were trendy for a short while (commercial & institutional buildings mostly) but rarely duplicated since. They really stand out & have a distinctive charm.
We had no guide & spent more than a week of evenings at it. All we did was wander industrial areas from the correct time periods & kept a lookout. I think we got most of them, but no doubt some were missed too. What was striking was the complete lack of people in the places we explored. Empty streets & no one about but us.
An interesting encounter while exploring remote coulees in Central Alberta at twilight, in search of abandoned things.🎈 A big whooshing sound was heard before it appeared, it then rose up above the trees, only to vanish from view a few moments later. The balloon belongs to a tour company, but it seemed strange to cross paths in such an out of the way location & so late in the day.
Check the comments for a broader photo.
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It's just a thing & we're drawn to places like this. It's called Kenopsia: "the eerie atmosphere of a village (in this case) that once bustled with people but now mostly vacant or abandoned."
Sometimes a local dog (like the friendly fellow seen here - near the corner of the house) or cat joins us, but rarely are there people about. We stroll the empty streets, pass empty houses & vacant lots, while thinking back to what was. At one time, long ago, communities just like this boomed, but with everyone moving to the cities, they're forgotten backwaters.
The Crossley Slides made it into the Jan/25 issue of Prairie Gold Rush (bottom & left images). 🚜
The magazine is for Minneapolis-Moline enthusiasts & certain Massey Ferguson models, like some seen in the Crossley's shots. were made by that firm. The photos were captured in the old CN railway yards (present day Lindsay Park) & at a nearby farm dealership. Interestingly, Crossley lived in the area & his house would be about where present day northbound Macleod trail is.
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The ship Riversdale 122 years apart! Then: Gravesend England 1901. Now: Royston, Vancouver Island, BC 2023. Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
- Built in 1894, it was last used as a bulk carrier barge for service on the west coast. - The Riversdale was scuttled to help make up the Royston Breakwater in 1961. - It's one of many ancient ships here dating from 1876-1943. - Know more about the Royston Breakwater: https://www.BIGDoer.com/63751/exploring-history/royston-wrecks-vancouver-island-bc/
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Then photo credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Gould Collection. _______
Family Groceteria, Centre Street Calgary (2016) & it held title as one last old-style corner stores in the city.
- It dates from the post WW2 boom period & closed a couple years before our photo. - The first phone book entry for it is 1947-1948. - When built it was close to the edge of city but that boundary (amazingly) is now some 15km directly north of here. - With the loss of this one, Calgary is now down to barely a handful of stores like this still operating (share your photos of others!). - This building was torn down not long after our visit & last we checked the lot was still empty. - Like many corner stores of the era, it had an attached living quarters. - Most neighbourhood corner stores functioned as a second home for kids in the area.
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