Category: Exploring History

Had they not been made of concrete, we suspect these remains would otherwise be long gone and the place but a distant memory. Here it’s massive walls and foundations, a monument to the past, when the railway was the driving force of the economy and stream locomotives were king. In...

Saskatchewan has us enamoured. With much history to explore and friendly folks, it’s a place to catch one’s breath, feel at home and revel in its sheer (and sometimes stark) beauty. There’s broad fields of gold, a charming street in some little village or stand there and stare at an...

They immigrated from all over Europe to work in Canada’s coal mines, something demonstrated by taking in the cemetery in Nordegg Alberta. The varied names found here reflect the numerous countries from which long ago they came – Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Poland and more. When calls a new life...

It’s been wiped off the face of the earth. Where once there was hope and promise, now it’s little more than an empty field. If not for close inspection it’d be easy to miss, but underfoot are subtle reminders of what was. Here’s a row of cellar-pits where buildings once...

It’s an old shed down on the farm, something utterly plain and utilitarian, right? Even to us folks always on the lookout for hidden history (so us), it’s worth no more than a passing glance…bet it’s full of spiders too! Then on closer examination – a reminder to always do...

We’ve sat on this one for a long time. When you have dozens of posts coming down the pipes some things are bound to get set aside for later. In the interim we’ve been doing research about the place as time permits, digging, prying and asking around but so far...

There’s not many of these little corner stores left. Where as long ago you could find them in nearly every “old” neighbourhood across the country, they have been in decline for decades. Finding one today is a rare delight and in Calgary, the few that are still in business can...

We’re equally at home in the mountains as we are the prairies. It’s all a wonderful playground of fun and learning, each with its own unique personality. Here’s a subject deep in the Alberta Rockies of Banff Park, well “Off the Beaten Path” an old Ranger’s Cabin that this day...

There are ghost towns. Then there’s Carolside Alberta, a community so totally wiped off the map that it’s become lost in time. While there’s odd little hints of what was here, if one looks real close, there’s not a structure left standing nor much else. Over there in the grass...

There’s a huge number of abandoned railways in Canada, thousands and thousands of kilometres worth. Only upon looking at old maps does it become clear just how extensive the network was. These disused lines are particularly common in the grain growing regions of the west but can be found across...

First you mine the coal, then you bring it outside. Now what? Well, you dump it of course. And here’s the building where it happened, so it could then go on to be further processed. There was a number of ways to do it…end dumping was common at smaller operations,...

File this under obscure. Here we’ll be looking at the mostly complete inner workings of a coal mine hoist house and don’t worry, you’ll know more about that is in a moment. These massive chunks of metal were part of a sprawling coal mine, so big it extended for many...

Flashback to a time with the world on edge…well, more so than usual. It’s memories of that crazy period called the Cold War, with two hated enemies facing off and each with a finger on the doomsday button. On one side, the side of good (if you were to ask),...

This here post is dedicated to a friend, gone almost a year now, whose obsession in what we’ll be looking at here bordered on the crazy. In a most beautiful way. This fellow, name of Jim Pearson, had a thing for grain elevators…and it was on a grand scale. You...

It was for many decades a Calgary Institution. Not just a place to get a prescription filled, no, it was much more. Picture it, an almost full on department store where one could purchase nearly anything their heart desired without having to drive all over town. A bottle of Tylenol,...

Not all that long ago coal was king in the Crowsnest Pass. There we’re dozens of mines up and down the valley, with production peaking in the late 1940s. It was almost exclusively on these which the local economy relied but now tourism brings in the dough. It’s all quiet...

We’re torn. What are we to do with this post? Here’s some fine photos, taken during a scouting mission, showing a really cool subject, an old log cabin still used from time to time, with a stunning mountain backdrop. That is Grade-A certified BIGDoer.com Gold. And so we went in...

There’s been more than a few movies and television shows filmed in and around High River Alberta. In fact, lately, it’s been pretty busy there in regards to both. Currently in production and perhaps most well known of these is the long running CBC series Heartland, with the historic downtown...

Hidden among the precipitous peaks of the Silvery Slocan in the rugged East Kootenays of British Columbia, way up Carpenter Creek, there’s a most amazing ghost town. Shoehorned into a narrow, confined valley, and sometimes obscured by dense undergrowth, it’s photogenic place with the name of Cody. Down a winding...

This post has been retired for an updated version, which can be found here: RCAF/CFS Alsask Radar Dome. Still, we’ll keep some of the photos not transferred to the new piece up for your enjoyment and comments will be retained as well. They’re saying… “Love your pictures, comments, and articles....

The location is Nelson British Colombia, “Queen City of the Kootenays”, a community laid back and friendly in a scenic mountain setting. The time is early fall 2018 – yes we’re well behind in posting. And the reason we’re here? Glad you asked….just passing through on our way to one...

Without a doubt it ranks as one of Calgary’s most unique dwellings. I know the first time we drove past it prompted a triple take from both of us. “Did you see that?”…as we spun around completely in sync. Found in the exclusive Calgary community of Upper Mount Royal there...

Welcome to day two of things seen and places visited from the 2018 edition Alberta Ghost Town Convention (called the Mini-GTC, it’s anything but). It’s been going on a half dozen years now and has been attended by Team BIGDoer from the beginning, along with a wonderful group of friends,...

Here it’s a most interesting take on what’s a most remarkable place. We’re in Fort Steele Heritage Town, out in the East Kootenays of British Columbia, a popular “living history*” museum operating since the 1960s. We’ve been given an assignment to document the park for a photo-tour type article, but...

Deep in the precipitous mountains of the West Kootenays of British Columbia, there’s a most historic place. Built on mining riches it was a boom town like no other, once home to some ten thousand folks that today has a population which can be counted on a hand or two....

To some it’s known, variously, as the Castle, Tower or Turret House, account its distinctive style of architecture. To others it’s the Robertson or Koopman House, after some folks who once called it home. But most famously it’s known far and wide as the Superman House due to its appearance...

One weekend every July for the last few years, a group of close friends gets together and explores the countryside in search of historic and abandoned places. It’s always an epic adventure, taking in abandoned farms, charming villages, near ghost towns and vintage vehicles long put out to pasture. But...