Elevator Friday - former Bulwark, Alberta elevator

Elevator used to be at Bulwark, which is a ghost town.

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

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St. Margaret’s Church not too far from Edmonton, Alberta.

It is kind of hidden away. Nice little spot. Church was locked and in the brief time I was there I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos so I did not stay long. The cemetery appeared to have a number of unmarked crosses.

Goddard Cemetery

Inscribed on the marker:

"In my father’s house are many mansions

Otto Meer

Died May 18, 1915

Aged 75 years

May

His wife died

Mar 29, 1911

Aged 71 years”

Information from the Medicine Hat and District Genealogical Society. There are six burials here, three are known: Otto, May, and their daughter Helena who died November 17, 1926. The Meer family emigrated to Canada in 1909, applied for homesteads, and purchased a half section in 1910. After May passed Otto applied for funding to build a cemetery in the area. This small spot is supposed to be two miles west of where their farm was. The names of the other three burials are lost to history. May they rest in peace.

I had been trying to find this one for some time. It is not listed in the county website. There are mentions of it online but there is no location listed. I consulted a friend of mine who is great at tracking down locations but all he could give me was a general area. This July I was in the area and managed to find it in the general area that my friend indicated. It is in a prairie farm field close to a township road south of Foremost, Alberta with not much around for miles in any direction.

The photos could be better. I am still having issues with walking and carefully picked my way across uneven ground with a cane to get to the cemetery. It is a work in progress.

Elevator Friday - Wrentham, Alberta

Elevator Friday - Skiff, Alberta

A post from Cpt Mo

Moraine Lake, Alberta.

Elevator Friday - On a farm near Beaumont, Alberta

Courtesy Dale Redekopp.

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The site of Foley Timber School. There are two buildings here. The last time I was here a few years back it was winter.

Life among the ruins

Jasper National Park.

Elevator Friday - near Bentley, Alberta

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

Abandoned bug

You used to see these on the roads everywhere. The colour got tweaked to make it stand out more.

Elevator Friday - Spruce Grove, Alberta

Spruce Grove Alberta Wheat Pool. Built in 1958, it is designated a Provincial Historic Resource and is a working museum run by volunteers.

Thank you to Dale Redekopp.

Elevator Friday - On a farm near Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Courtesy Dale Redekopp.

Saron Lutheran Church est. 1901

North of Clive, Alberta.

Elevator Friday - Sharples, Alberta

There are some on the internet that refer to Sharples as a ghost town. There never was a settlement here, just a lone elevator by train tracks that once ran through here to Carbon west of here and Drumheller east of here.

About a year ago I saw something posted about this elevator being scheduled to be demolished. I was unable to run out and see it then. The elevator is still standing and I am not sure how true that story is. In case it actually is going to be torn down I thought I would see it before it happens. I saw it within the last week. Not happy with the photos and the one good one I thought I would give it the colour and black and white treatment.

Some of those Alberta backroads can be a killer

Elevator Friday - Stavely, Alberta

From Dale Redekopp.

Tyra

Grrrrr!

Tyra stands 85 feet tall, 150 feet long and weighs in at 145,000 pounds . . . and is a landmark in Drumheller, Alberta.  

Unfortunately, there are plans to dismantle this iconic structure in the near future. Can't imagine what they're thinking . . . everyone wants to see Tyra and no one wants to see her gone.

Maybe they'll come to their senses.  

Photographed in Drumheller, Alberta on October 22, 2025.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Elevator Friday - St. Albert, Alberta

From the files of Dale Redekopp.

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The last time I was at Prairie Circle Cemetery was in 2017. A few days ago I got a friend, Glen Bowe, to join me on a return trip. My prior visit was a short visit without a close look as there was a lot of tall grass and I did not want to step on and damage anything hidden in the grass. I thought a return visit at this time of year would be a great time as I would now be able to see everything. My plan partially worked. I did not expect snow on the ground. Since I am still on crutches I did not chance going down the ditch and attempting to check out the grounds. Asking my guest to pick me up if I fell might be too much of an imposition.

There is a hinged cover over a plaque showing there are at least twenty-eight burials here. There does not seem to be any past 1940. I could see a few more markers compared to my last visit but there are not many. The most common surname is Kary. There are references to Ensleigh, Fenner, and Zetland. The most I could find is that both areas might have had a post office or general store as those sometimes existed without anything else for miles around or was just an area name. Present day there is no evidence of either location. Glen was kind enough to allow me to use some of his photos.

Courtesy Glen Bowe 

Courtesy Glen Bowe