
Serving up POP HISTORY & other McFun!…
(Mmmm, yummy bite-sized pieces.)
Kenopsia: "the eerie atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but now vacant or abandoned."
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Byron Robb:
Ogden Road Calgary 1950 & 2016
Anonymous:
Sibbald Gentleman’s Club (Closed)
Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola:
Riverview Hospital Coquitlam BC
Johanna (Connie) Biggart
Empress Alberta at the 4th Meridian
Johanna (Connie) Biggart:
St Peter and Paul Church 1918
Anonymous:
Radio Shack Westbrook Mall (Calgary)
Anonymous:
Ghost Railways: Fort Macleod Alberta
Anonymous:
Berte George’s William’s Grocery Lethbridge
Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola:
Union Bay (Vancouver Island) Coal Wharf
Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola:
1 Day: Denman & Hornby Islands (BC)
Wilfrid Lambo:
Crossley Slides: A Corner in Erlton
Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola:
Ioco Port Moody BC (Ghost Town)
Anonymous:
Historic Fort Macleod After Hours
Anonymous:
Ghosts of the Crowsnest Subdivision
Franco Media:
Moose Jaw SK Train Station (~90 Yrs Apart)
- Boler! (96)
- Exploring History (253)
- Hikes And Summits (124)
- Old Things (48)
- Other Fun (114)
- Short Subjects (152)
- Then And Now (106)
- Uncategorized (3)
- The Canadian Pacific used barges to serve an isolated branch from Rosebery to Nakusp.
- Remarkably this lasted into the late 1980s.
- A similar service operated on Kootenay Lake.
- Barges came from down lake in Slocan City & a connection with the CPR's contiguous network.
- That's probably the tug Rosebery, which was retired not long after this photo capture.
- The Nakusp area seemed to have a hold on Crossley & there's many photos from around there in the collection. Stay tuned!
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments!
Know more about the barge slip in Rosebery: https://www.BIGDoer.com/62731/exploring-history/railway-barge-slip-rosebery-bc-1989/
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Thanks from Chris & Connie!
- It's a grand house & hasn't changed much!
- Were not sure where the other house being moved came from or where it's going.
- We searched high & low, but have yet to find it. It may be gone now, but we'll keep on it & post it here if discovered.
- Those horses have quite the job ahead of them - Bankview is hilly!
Be sure to cheer on the Team & make some noise in the comments!
Photo credit: University of Calgary.
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Thanks from Chris & Connie!
- Built in 1924 for Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Co.
- A couple years later that firm was folded in the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.
- Closed in 1990, just after the rail line was pulled up
- It was used as a seed cleaning plant for a time after, but is now empty.
- There used to be three other grain elevators here in Coderre.
- It was standard practice to place the town's name on side of each grain elevator - you always knew where you were.
- This photo was captured while scouting out the Coderre Hotel for the Beer Parlour Project but we failed to convince them.😔
Know more: https://www.BIGDoer.com/63676/exploring-history/prairie-sentinels-coderre-saskatchewan-2/
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Thanks from Chris & Connie!
- The Then photo is from an old postcard.
- That's our car (at the time) in the bottom photo & that it's almost the same colour as the other is another happy coincidence. This happens to us all the time.
- If you have an old photo (your copyright) that you'd like us to use in this way, please reach out.
Know more about the scene: https://www.BIGDoer.com/52112/then-and-now/fort-museum-fort-macleod-alberta/
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Thanks from Chris & Connie!
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.
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Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path.
Thanks, Chris.
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).
BP 15.0: Visited by the Beer Parlour Project on June 8th, 2024. Learn a little history, get to know the place & see more photos here: https://www.BeerParlourProject.com/fife-lake-hotel-fife-lake-sk/
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Thanks from Chris & Connie!
Comments are (OFF)
- Chris Doering on Reach Us!
- Patrick Keck on Reach Us!
- Chris Doering on Few Words: The Cutest Little Farm House
- Eric May on Few Words: The Cutest Little Farm House
- Chris Doering on Old Slocan Highway by the Lake
- Chris Doering on Bow River Loop: Inglewood – Carburn Park
- Jason Sailer on Bow River Loop: Inglewood – Carburn Park
- Jason Sailer on A Few Minutes in Stavely Alberta
- Jason Sailer on Old Slocan Highway by the Lake
- Jason Sailer on Forced Perspective The Calgary Tower
- Chris Doering on Few Words: A Catalogue Home?
- Chris Doering on Prairie Sentinels: Fort MacLeod Alberta
Hi – I hope is message gets to you. I have several photographs – 8″ x 10″ black and white, of the Bow City Alberta coal mine, and some of the machinery used in that era. The photos are from the 40s -50’s. I will share them with you. You can contact me at xxxxxxxxx@xxx.ca.
Dianne
Hi Dianne, got your email and will message you. Very interested. You’ll hear from me soon.
Hi;
Nice web page. My grandfather was a miner in Blairmore till 1919.
I’d like to one day go there and search out the mine (if I can find it).
The photos you have on your web page are beautiful. Thank you for
sharing and all the time you put into everything.
Josie
If you need help tracking something down, we’d be happy to help. We know the Crowsnest area well, in particular when it comes to mines.
Hello:
Thank you for your response. All that I know about my grandfather (Pietro Mancini aka Peter) is what I was told about. His son told me that he could hear his father’s boots on the pavers when he neared the house and they would hide, since he was so very abusive. The house was still up in the 1960’s and was yellow block or concrete. I just assumed my grandfather was
close enough to the coal mine to walk home. His son told me in the 1990’s that they would go swimming nearby in the “Old Man River” and they’d wear gunny-sacks. He said that they could see the mountains from their home and he told me they called them the “Three Sisters”. In 1918 my uncle’s mother died in childbirth. His father (my grandfather) went to Italy and re-married and upon returning to Blairmore the police were looking for him, since he had abandoned all his children and they were sent to orphanages (Calgary or Edmonton ?). He was a mason also (I have some of his paper work). He and my grandmother fled by night over the U.S.A. boarder and got to Detroit, MI where my mother was born in 1921.
I’ve just always been curious and have planned one day to go to Blairmore.
From your photos, Alberta looks just so beautiful. Thank you again for your response. I hope to visit one day and see the coal mines.
He died in Detroit in 1944 (born in 1877 in Italy) of stomach cancer, which I think is prevalent with coal miner.
Thank you for your time.
Josie
Can’t understand why some people are abusive. The Oldman River is not in the immediate area and is too far north. However, I’ve heard a couple old timers refer to the Crowsnest River, which does pass through Blairmore, mistakenly by that name. Hmmmmm, an eye-brow raiser. There is a Seven Sisters Mountain in the area. One can find a Three Sisters much further north near a community called Canmore. Interestingly, it was a coal town too. Yes, coal mining and lung problems went hand in hand. Many died from the black stuff. I’ll send you an email to see if you want me to look into this further.
Thank you for your reply and time.
Josie
Email sent. Have a great day.
Hi I understand that you rewire rotary phones? Is this correct?
Anyway I want to buy an old phone and I was wondering if I send it to you can you fix it.
Also how much does it cost to fix it?
Thank you for your time!
Chelsea
Yes, old phones are my specialty. I’ll email you about this.
Hi, Chris and Connie,
I know Harry Sanders, a historian in Calgary, he works for Chinook Historic Society and other organizations, you can contact him or Chinook Historian Society or go to his website or Chinook Historic Society website, maybe you can get some information useful to you.
University of Calgary has an archeology or similiar bachelor major, its graduates often find jobs in some organization related to history/archeology.
I read a lot of articles in your website, it is really nice of you. I believe all hiking/outdoor persons must be good guys.
I come from China, I have been doing a lot of hikings and travels both in China, Canada and other countries.
Good luck
Ming
Thanks for posting Ming! I can use this info.