Photography

A visit to the well-maintained Bluejay - Charron Community Cemetery northeast of Atmore, Alberta.

St. Anthony of Padua Church and Cemetery are located southwest of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The church has fallen into disrepair and seems to stand as a symbol of a past reality now fading.

A visit to Aetna, a hamlet in Cardston County, Alberta.

Prospy Cemetery was generally unkept with graves markers lightly scattered across the small enclosure. Despite that, one grave marker in particular caught my eye.

An early spring hike in the Ministik Bird Sanctuary southeast of Edmonton. Will I find some spring to help thaw my winter-frozen brain?

Seven Persons is a hamlet in Cypress County, Alberta about 20 km southwest of Medicine Hat. There are various stories about how the hamlet got it’s name.

Hillcrest Cemetery is memorable partly because of the location and partly because of the mine disaster of 1914 that took so many lives.

For almost a decade a single red folding chair has been stationed at a lookout over Williams Lake in the Ministik Bird Santuary. The landscape is in constant flux around it, but the red chair remains.

Located on the side of a long, sloping hill, I visited Monitor Cemetery when the surrounding crops were in full bloom, justaposing new life with other part of the cycle: inevitable death.

St. Laurence Anglican Church is located in the hamlet of Monitor, Alberta. Constructed in 1915, it is registered in the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Jaroslaw) is a compact structure which stands near a well-kept cemetery.

This church is one of the earlier examples of an “open-dome” cruciform church: a large, single central dome is built on an octagonal base

A visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church (Star-Peno) and cemetary with a timelapse video and photo gallery.

The history of this church echos many others in the area: early churches built, destroyed by fire in this case multiple times and always rebuilt again.

This church stands at the top of a small hill overlooking a cemetery and farmland beyond.

As was the case with many churches in the area, a history of nationalism inherited from the “old country” affected the lives after settling half way around the world in Canada.

The Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of St. John of Suchava, the first organized Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Alberta

Another immaculate church in that speaks to the devotion and work ethic of the people from Europe who settled this part of the province.

This church provides an interesting historical twist: here’s an example of a town being named after a church.

Built in 1900 after three years of labour, this church has the distinction of being the oldest original church in Lamont county.

This church, bell-tower, and ajoining cemetery continue the theme of being well-kept and picturesque.

The dome and supporting cupolas of this church are a distinctive bronze colour.

Like so many others, this church is an example of a structure rebuilt after a previous church succumbed to fire. Now in need of some repair, the building is still an imposing structure.

The church and the surrounding grounds are expansive and impressive.

The more you read about the history of rural churches, the more you see instances of parishioners breaking off from a congregation to build a new church and form a new congregation.

In 1987 the first Orthodox liturgy on Canadian soil was celebrated near this church site. Completed in 1899, this church was the first Orthodox Church in Canada.

A quaint church has as beautiful, imposing bell tower and well-kept cemetery beside it.

This parish can be traced back to 1897–1898, making it one of the first Russo-Greek Orthodox parishes in Canada.

This church is extremely impressive. Almost everything about it seems to stand out: the form, the surroundings and how well it is maintained.

Although mass is only held here once a year, this church remains in pretty good shape.

The present church is an architectural departure when compared to other rural churches in the area. But when you read about the history of past buildings being lost to fire, you realize that compact, practical buildings may be the wise choice in the long run.

Russo-Greek Orthodox Catholic Church of St. James is one of the oldest churches in Lamont County.

St. Mary’s Church of Shishkovitzy is a very well-maintained church and stands on the same piece of land that housed an original structure built from 1898 to 1903, before Alberta became a province.

The “Spas Moskalyk” church is an example of historical building almost slipping off into oblivion. This one didn’t slip away, but was saved by the local residents.

Tofield Cemetery is a large, well-kept enclosure about 1.8 kms north of Tofield on highway 843.

Wilhelmina Evangelical Lutheran Church near Hay Lakes is nicely-built and obviously well-kept church.

I found out about the “Crooked Trees” from my sister so I made a point of visiting on my way back to Edmonton from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. My scientific opinion?: “They’re weird!”