We’re in Union Bay British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, and looking at the remains of a giant wharf used for transloading coal. So, from trains onto waiting ships and barges. It remained in use from the 1880s into about 1960 (or 1961) and most everything removed a few years after....
This short in-town walk begins in downtown Turner Valley (now part of Diamond Valley, a little south of Calgary) and heads up to a bluff atop “Snob Hill”. From up there you get a good view of the town’s historic gas plant. This walk is a pleasant diversion when you...
Sometimes it’s fun to go in with no set plans or goals in mind. Who doesn’t love the pure and unadulterated joy than comes with discovery? Today, and for the whole day, we’re hitting up Denman & Hornby Islands out in the Strait of Georgia on British Columbia’s West Coast....
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...
We’re going to do a little walkabout in the former company town of Ioco British Columbia and snap a few photos. Chris, along with two dear friends, were exploring out on the West Coast just over a year ago and this post came as a result. These other fellows are...
McKinnon Flats is a recreational area down by the Bow River and a little southeast of Calgary. More than anything it’s a launching point for personal watercraft, but there’s trails to walk or bike as well. Nice place for a picnic too, or to take in nature. The access road...
Roughly ninety years separates the two images seen in this then and now post. Today we’re looking at the former Canadian Pacific Railway station in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, seen first in a vintage postcard and then how it appeared in 2014. This fine old structure looks as good today as...
Kart World or Kart Gardens? The folks that ran this Calgary family-fun business sure made things confusing and a sign in front lists BOTH names. No matter which you choose, the place is now closed and the site (on this visit in 2014) was quickly falling into disrepair. You’ll hear...
Flashback to May 2014: the Team is on a grain elevator tour of southwest Saskatchewan and having a blast. We saw and documented more, but it’s Prairie Sentinels that we came for. Many were visited and the one seen this day is found in the small town of Cadillac (south...
In this Then and Now attention is focused on the old Dominion Bridge Factory in the Calgary neighbourhood of Ramsay. The first photo is undated but we believe it’s from 1960 (we’ll explain) and ours is from 2014. There’s many buildings in the complex but in the photos only one...
Many towns across the prairies once had small community airports but the numbers are thinning. Included in the tally is the one in Hodgeville Saskatchewan, the remains of which include a road sign, a concrete foundation and one standing structure. The latter was presumably the office and control centre (the...
The spectators gather, drinks in hand and the engines roar to life. Brave warriors with their metal steeds take position and the flag drops. Let the CARnage begin! There’s the acrid smell of grease and stinking exhaust, the sequel of tires, the sickening sound of tearing metal followed by shrieks...
Here’s a nice in-town loop hike that’s easy and offers up lots of variety. There’s parkland and natural woods where you’ll forgot you’re in the city. Underfoot it’s paved pathways and dirt singletrack. This is the Bowness and Baker Parks Loop, which also includes a foray into Wood’s Douglas Fir...
All but a couple burials in this forgotten coal town cemetery date predate 1917 and many of the grave markers have been lost to time. Nature’s reclaiming the site and much of everything remaining is well hidden by the underbrush. Still, there’s old metal fences and more resilient grave markers...
It’s amazing how little Westmount School has changed in 100 years. Exactly a century separates the two images presented here and from this viewing angle, the building appears much as it was. We’re in Edmonton’s Inglewood neighbourhood, and shooting another BIGDoer,com Then & Now. Come tag along and have some...
Railway archaeology: “The study and enjoyment of relics from past eras of rail transportation” (Wikipedia). It’s a bit of an oddball pastime and rarely is there a wow factor, but still it’s something we love. In this post we’ll explore remains of an abandoned section of the Crowsnest Subdivision in...
The building seen here dates back to the mid-1890s (one report says about a decade later) and on this visit in 2014, looked every bit its age. It must have been in the running as the one of the oldest buildings in the community, yet rather hidden away from the...
This history exploring gig can be demanding and tiring work. There’s the endless road, it just goes on and on and on; there’s the walking and climbing, the jumping of fences, dust by the dumptruck load, all manner of dangers to think about, bugs and heat, and wind and rain....
Here’s a nice hike on a wooded hillside overlooking the west end of Calgary. You’d see lots of urbanity if not for the trees, but every once in a while, they do thin and this allows a look out. Here’s a loop hike on Paskapoo Slopes and it starts from...
This post will explore one of Saskatchewan’s iconic “bowstring” concrete arch bridges. With their graceful lines, they’re a thing of beauty and are delightful subjects to photograph. They can be found all over the province and this example is located in the southwest quadrant. It’s close to ninety years old...
Ahead, it’s a piece called Grain Elevators of Consort Alberta and it contains two interesting photos from long ago. It’s Chris here and in the 1990s I worked oilfield “hotshot” trucking. On these travels, I’d pass many interesting places, but always under a time crunch. Stopping or even slowing down...
These old and decrepit coal cars were found scattered about the forgotten Commander Mine site (earlier and briefly, the Sterling Mine) in the Red Deer River Valley of Alberta. They were abandoned back in the 1950s, with the closing of the mine, and have been here ever since. Tossed aside...
The only connection between the old and new photos is the the train station way back there in the distance. Otherwise, all the other buildings in that earlier view are gone. Still the town, Beiseker Alberta (a little NE of Calgary) has that same feel to it, even if things...
We’re in Royston on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and looking at something incredible. There’s historic ships here, some fourteen in number (with a 15th suspected), and they’re not that far out in the bay. These date from 1876-1943 and were scuttled to be part of a breakwater. Welcome to the...
This one’s nothing complicated and a relaxed stroll in the forest. It happens in the extensive West Bragg Creek trail network, in the foothills of the Rockies and just a little west of Calgary. Sometimes an easy going and easy access adventure is all you need. Let’s explore Moose Loop,...
Team BIGDoer first visited Coderre Saskatchewan in 2014 and a decade later made a triumphant return. On the follow-up visit there were parades, speeches by dignitaries and a holiday declared. Well, the town dog showed up to see the goings on but soon left to chase a leaf blowing in...
This post is originally from 2014 and presented in that context: It appears time is running out for the 100 year old Eastern (Deutsch-Canadier) Block on busy MacLeod Trail near downtown Calgary. Neglected and showing its age, the building has been vacated and boarded up recently. The future is uncertain...
Here’s an old post from years back, pulled from the remains of a badly crashed archive, fixed up, edited and made new again. The photos show a Fairbanks Morse model H16-66 locomotive and it’s a rare beast indeed. Today it’s one of two left. It’s first seen in High River...
There are four Picklejar Lakes, each lovely in its own unique way and all nestled in an amazingly picturesque cirque. They’re a popular destination for both hikers and anglers, and getting there is a relatively easy task. The trail up, for the most part, has a moderate grade and is...
Let’s focus attention on the little community of Carbon Alberta and more specifically, the town’s grain elevator row. Down there by the tracks, or in the present context where they and those structures used to be. Those prairie sentinels, the train station, the railway itself and the section house far...
Kenopsia: "the eerie atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but now vacant or abandoned."
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Jack Rutherford:
Anastasia Lords of Anastasia Village
Johanna (Connie) Biggart:
Nier Alberta’s Psychedelic Grain Elevator
Byron Robb:
A Downtown West End Alley (Calgary)
Helen Besterling:
Stampede Speedway Calgary (1982-1987)
Anonymous:
The Grist Mill / Blacksmith Shop (2015)
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)
- shot in & around the Crowsnest Pass of Alberta. A TV production, it follows her adventures as she works to save a herd of feral horses. 
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