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Our Late Visit to the Calgary Heritage Park, an Active Town

HeritageLegacyTo attune your ear to the Western mood, listen to the music:“Grandma’s Courting Again” Wilf Carter

Since last time in 2008 when we visited with Gleb the heritage Park in Calgary, many changes happened to be. To the left thelegacy of the Heritage Park and to the right photo of Janko just at the heritage Park to-day.

First of all, we did not recognize the entrance. The hill was demolished and appeared to be the even landing, leading straight to the parking lot, and a real street car running from here to the entrance gates. Everywhere antique stores, railway cafeteria et cetera.

Second of all, the New “Gasoline Alley” Museum which is home to some of theJankoinHeritagePark most unique and rare vehicles, ever manufactured in Canada and donated to the Museum by one person in whose possession there are many more such.

Calgarians know a lot about their Canada’s largest living history museum which in 2010 received national Awards for Tourism Excellence, Heritage park Historical village (How the West was once).

We took a fascinating journey through the rare rail cars and discovered what it was like to journey west in a Colonist car in the early 1900s. railway history comes to life through 45 minute drive.

From railway History.

1.Midnapore, Shepard, laggan Stations.

2. During the first decade of the 20th century, nearly one million immigrants arrived in Western Canada by passenger train.

Listen to the Western country music: Stompin’ Tom Connors-I am the Wind (1988)

3. On November 7th, 1885, Construction car #76 carried dignitaries to the Last Spike Ceremony at Craigellachie, B.C., marking the completion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. The historic moment connected Canada as a country coast to coast.

Watch the photo show: “Heritage Park to-day”:

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What is new?

There appeared a small Synagogue, where Trudy Cowen and Abraham share traditional Jewish folk tales and stories about settlers’ lives and events at the Montefiore Institute.

St. Martin’s Church was built in 1895 and arrived here from Lundbreck. Rectory house was nearby. A pretty organist, student girl from London, Ontario, played and sang a sweet melody for us. A very gracious lady in such a gracious place!

Listen to the Western music: Victor Credenza plays Wilf Carter “I’m gonna ride to heaven on a Streamline Train” (1935)

A Weedon school teacher told us an interesting story of the full class education of students of different grades together. It was built in 1910 by James Andison of Cochrane.

Canmore Opera House.

We listened to a 40-minute live musical mountie melodrama, fast paced action adventure, which told us about a new Mountie arriving in town only to find danger, deception and a distant admirer.

How time is flying fast here!

We spent already almost 5 hours wandering about, dropping by Strathmore Standard, the shop of the Strathmore and Bow Valley Standard which is a fully operational print shop using the equipment of 75 to 120 years old.

The building built in 1909 in Strathmore, Alberta, came to the Park with the flat-bed Wharfedale press. What an exotic fixture it is! Looks as an enormous creature compared to the modern computer stations.

Nevertheless, a show lady is operating easily with it and in no time we are able to buy a couple of copies for 25 cents per each. A real bargain!

Watch our photo show “Gasoline Alley Museum”:

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We visited the world-renowned Wainwright Hotel which stands on the corner downtown at Heritage Park.

The Wainwright Hotel Dining-Room served customers fine meals for 25 to 50 cents in 1908, to-day we ordered Fish and Chips and coffee- the price we paid-14 dollars. Can you imagine how the prices have jumped for more than a century?

I calculated: approximately: 100 times for 100 years. That is such life.

We came in Alberta bakery, built to replace the overcrowded log Cabin Bakery, which was originally a General Store at Standard, Alberta.

The building was built in 1912 by J.P. hanson. It was styled to look like the Alberta Bakery of Calgary which was owned and operated by C.T. Gilbert. The bakery bakes homemade bread every day. We bought two loves of rye bread and multi grain bread and headed home. It was Park’s closing time. How nice to spend a day-off in the Heritage Park!

8 Comments

  1. К большому сожалению у нас в городе не всё делается так, чтобы сохранить некую первозданнось архитектуры или чего либо.

  2. Дорогой Павел! Ты знаешь больше, что делается с культурным наследием в России в настоящий момент. Ты живёшь там, являясь живым свидетелем времени. разные страны-Россия и Канада- разные подходы к национальному наследию. Приглашаем приехать в Канаду на пару неделек, чтобы самому убедиться во всём.
    С уважением,
    Валентина и Янко

  3. What a delight is was to spend a short time with you on the train. You made me feel that I knew you for a long time yet we just met.
    You are a very special lady in ways that you express yourself. Thank you for including us in your pictures.

  4. Dear friends, It is a quick response of yours. It is showing that how the world is small. You are in New Jersey and we are in Calgary, and we are together. Thanks again to the new technologies. We hope to meet you another time.
    Sincerely yours,
    valentina and Janko

  5. Was looking at your pictures of Santorini. Oh ! how it made me laugh as I had almost had the same experience. The donkey stopped at the edge and I couldn’t look down. Holding my breath, Ken’s donkey trotted ahead and mine said, “Oh No” and started looking to catch up and win the four legged animal race. Oh My ! It made me think of a wonderful trip. It was many years ago.
    I have been in the house for many weeks with a bad knee. Not sure if I am looking at surgery for now we are resting it and it’s testing my patience.

  6. Hi, Sheila! Thanks for your comment. We had a good time there. But Janko said that he hates donkeys because donkeys hate him. It’s a joke. What happened to your knee? Send us e-mail. Love your husband Ken.
    Yours, Valentina

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