Olympic Plaza in Calgary, Alberta

Constructed during the lead up to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Olympic Plaza was originally created as a venue for medal ceremonies and celebrations. In addition, with its prime location in downtown Calgary, Olympic Plaza was also designed to be a communal gathering place and urban park to bring citizens into the heart of the city.


Today, Olympic Plaza is still an outdoor event space, hosting everything from concerts and community festivals. In the winter the area is transformed, and the plaza becomes a public ice-skating rink. With views of the Calgary Tower and surrounding skyline, Olympic Plaza remains a beautiful example of Calgary's time in the Olympic spotlight. Other great places to explore Calgary's Olympic past include Canada Olympic Park and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. You owe it to yourself to see Olympic Plaza in person the next time you're in downtown Calgary.

Olympic Plaza during the Calgary Winter Olympics ca. 1988

Olympic Plaza during the Calgary Winter Olympics ca. 1988

Inside the North Head Lighthouse

A return to the North Head Lighthouse along the Washington coast was always part of the plan on our road trip along the PCH, however we weren't sure we'd get a chance to go inside. We missed the opportunity on our 2013 road trip, and we arrived too late in the day on this road trip as well. The following morning, after we'd already been back and hiked the nearby cliffs, we decided the view would be worth it and made the drive back just for a quick look inside. 

POW Camp 132: Archival Images

The history of Prisoner of War Camp 132 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, which operated between 1943 to 1946, continues to fascinate many. I did a photo essay at the former site of the camp years ago, and even now it continues to attract thousands of viewers. I think the reasoning is simple. For one, the current Exhibition & Stampede grounds in Medicine Hat are located where this former World War II POW Camp was, and two, the drill hall is actually still standing today. That in itself is a surprising bit of juxtaposition for those who weren't aware. 

What also makes the history of POW Camp 132 interesting is that, along with another POW Camp in Lethbridge, the Medicine Hat facility was one of the largest camps in North America during World War II and held over 12,000 German prisoners. It's also an event that brought the Second World War into Alberta's own backyard. For more details I encourage you to explore my photo essay about POW Camp 132, and also check out the book Behind Canadian Barbed Wire by David Carter. In the meantime, to provide more context for my previous post, I've compiled a small collection of archival images featuring POW Camp 132 that I think are quite compelling. 

Border fences of POW Camp 132.

Construction of the drill hall.

Guard tower.

German POWs at Camp 132.

Inside the dining hall of POW Camp 132.

Doctors and nurses at POW Camp 132.

Men in the guard tower.

German POWs at Camp 132 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.