Photos progress eastward on 23rd Street (Highway 2 south/Highway 3 east).


The first item on your left is a Universal armored personnel carrier, dating to the era around World War II, located in front of the Royal Canadian Legion. While you're there, gaze at some old hotel paraphernalia along 24th Street: the sign for Heritage Motel and the building for Queen's Hotel. Queen's Hotel was an early sandstone building, formerly the most luxurious hotel in one of Alberta's first cities, but it declined in 1940s and 1950s into a relatively seedy tavern. (According to what I read. Nothing in the prairies felt seedy to me.) There are two small stone plaques set into the top storey, reading "A.D. 1903" for the building date and "Stedman Block" for its name.


Up next, at the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue, is the 1900 Union Bank building, decorative top floor added in 1911.


Once that was built, the Grier Block wasted no time getting established next door on 2nd Avenue in 1902.


Buildings on the east side of 2nd Avenue. The Java Shop was around for decades but closed in 2008.


C.W. Stevens, hard wood lumber and wagon work, at the very north end of 2nd Avenue at 25th Street (the other directions of Highways 2/3). This 1897 building was the city's first post office and was moved out of downtown to spare it from demolition.


Turn your attention to the right, on past 2nd Avenue, and find the 1902 courthouse and later (1971) town hall. It reportedly is the only Northwest Territory courthouse in Alberta or Saskatchewan to still be used as one after they were set aside as provinces, and almost all the others were demolished.

See more along Highway 2
See more along Highway 3

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