Picture taken while on the backroads - May 2018
So many roads so little time.
It’s a dream of mine to roam the roads of Canada with camera and journal in hand and find all the nooks and crannies of forgotten places. Perhaps one day it will become a reality but in the meantime we take little trips around our province. I journal about our days and organize my photos, all of which will one day become a book that may provide more financial backing for further trips abroad. I write down what I can find out about these forgotten places either from first-hand accounts or from research on the internet, slowly putting together a record of their passing.
There are some collections of stories and histories already but not many from current years, most are 30 – 40yrs old already and even their authors may have passed into the annals of time. Alberta is so rich with what I call “current” history, it’s not hard to find or learn, as most of it took place in the last 100yrs or so, which in comparison to other provinces isn’t long. The “wild west”, prairie settlers, gunslingers, moonshiners, gold rushes, coal towns, railroads… so much of what we see in westerns took place here. Strong men and women of both endurance and character. Families weathering the years of hardships and blessings. Slow expansion of society and civilization. Loss of traditions, loss of land, loss of peoples the almost extinction of species. Our history is not pleasant, but then what nation’s ever are?
Learning about our past, the forgotten places, the events leading up to their abandonment, these are the things that may help us to unlock the doors to a better future, a more fixed and resolute future, a future that we can be proud of.
Until next time my friends,
Tim
Working on finishing up a business directory for a client, the last few days are always a blur getting things wrapped up for these kind of jobs.
Another lazy Sunday afternoon watching the icky snowfall from last night melt. Everything is drip dripping away outside and I’m in research paradise with 6 books and a DVD of Ghost Town history. The one thing that concerns me so far is that all this information has become as old as these towns were at the time the books were written. Are any of these places still worth having a peek at? Are the buildings in their photos still standing 45 – 50 years later? These books were all that was available at the library but there is still a wealth of information available online, I just wanted to start with a traditional method before jumping full-on into the new.I have also come to realize that the vast majority of these places are 5 – 6hrs south of me and will require a weekend trip rather than a day trip to get to. On the upside quite a few are fairly close together. On these trips I plan on stopping to check out anything abandoned that I find along the way as well, which will add time to the travel of course. If you read this and you have any suggestions of places I should see in Alberta than kindly drop me a line and I’ll add them to my growing list. #Alberta #Abandoned #Ghosttown #Photography #touristinmyownprovince #old #research #planning #plannerUntil next time,Tim
