Forgotten Alberta

“NACO – District first settled in 1910. C.N.R. arrived in 1925, second Alberta Wheat Pool elevator in province erected. J.J. Doolans store, 10 More businesses, another elevator, public and high school were quickly established. Highest population 70. Last business closed in 1954 and last resident left in 1963. Erected and dedicated to everyone who called Naco their town.” – Plaque at Naco townsite #Alberta #Canada #elevator #history #mybadlands #explorealberta #FABTrip15 @gregfarries

A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on Aug 28, 2015 at 3:22pm PDT

Greg and I continued east towards Little Gem, now a sprawling farmstead along the abandoned grade of the C.N.R. line. The place lived up to its name, with the small park and plaque at Little Gem being an unexpected green oasis amidst the vast expanse of windswept prairie.

The next stop was a study in contrast. Were it not for the cairn erected alongside the highway, Naco townsite would have been virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding grassland. Closer inspection revealed the flotsam of this former community strewn throughout the shortgrass, which also concealed the hornets’ nest I inadvertently knelt down upon, prompting my hasty retreat from the scene. After pausing at the rest stop across across the road, which  yielded even more wasp nests, and a collage of explicit pornography, we continued ever eastward towards less-creepy Sedalia.

“Little Gem came into being with the coming of the C.N.R. in 1926, named for Little Gem School after a school district in Kansas, U.S.A. First store opened in 1926, last business and post office closed in 1957. Two grain elevators, one store, post office, and community hall were its businesses. This cairn, erected in 1976 by the few remaining residents, is dedicated to those oldtimers who helped build Little Gem and the surrounding community.” – Plaque at Little Gem #Alberta #Canada #Kansas #pioneer #history #mybadlands #explorealberta  #FABTrip15 @gregfarries A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on Aug 28, 2015 at 1:11pm PDT

Little Gem, Alberta. Not much to say about this gem in the middle of nowhere. @4gotten_alberta #fabtrip15 pic.twitter.com/dXSU82D17N

— Greg Farries (@gregfarries) August 2, 2015

Naco, Alberta. Kind of reminds me o Little Gem… @4gotten_alberta #fabtrip15 pic.twitter.com/9grpuQFzLC — Greg Farries (@gregfarries) August 2, 2015

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Naco townsite #Alberta #Canada #abandoned #history #FABTrip15 @gregfarries

A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on Aug 28, 2015 at 3:24pm PDT

“Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder”. I unwittingly sat on a hornet’s nest while taking this picture, so I also considered “Bee-hind the camera lens”, and “Bee-hind the times” as equally horrible captions. I welcome your suggestions. Naco townsite #Alberta #Canada #abandoned #history #badjokes #FABTrip15 @gregfarries A photo posted by Jonathan Koch (@forgotten_alberta) on Aug 28, 2015 at 3:27pm PDT