The New Old-World of Greenwood City in Boundary Country, British Columbia

Old Stuff

When one visits old-world destinations like Venice, Paris or Amsterdam, you become aware of the stark contrasts between the day-to-day hustle and the much, much longer and older timelines that birthed their character, their people’s cultures and unique personalities. 

In our migratory New World, like Canada or New Zealand, we don’t have a similar appreciation for omnipresent antiquity and the uniquely localized identities of the people. Sometimes, it is even hard to distinguish Calgary from Denver or Regina from Edmonton. If we did, we would discover and appreciate that here too is an “old world” charm, woven into the fabric of what, and who we are. Examples like Montreal and Quebec City come to mind. 

However, further West, we easily forget. Too quickly we lose the charm of our heritage as we hastily pave over it, strip mall, tear down, franchise, and progress it to oblivion. If we look around, we will realize that there are gems to be discovered. Dare I say it, places to be protected and cultures to be preserved and celebrated.

This is part of the TWO COWBOYS' EPIC GLOBAL TRAVEL & CULINARY EXPERIENCE - 2019! 

DO YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS OR COMMUNITY FEATURED?

New World Gems

Talk about the City of Greenwood with any modern-day Canadian, and most will shrug with just one comment, “Where is that?”. When you visit Greenwood, something grabs your attention about British Columbia’s smallest city, a one-time candidate for the Provincial Capital, and the previous seat of the Provincial High Court. Everyone in the West knew about Greenwood in 1897.

Walk the streets (yes, not speed through it on Highway 3, at 100km/hour) and you become acutely aware of its rich history, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the few remaining residents. They are desperately trying to preserve the crumbling buildings, hold on to the rich can-do mining character, and tell the boom-and-bust stories of days long gone.

There is a character to Greenwood and a hardy identity to its people. It needs to be rediscovered and celebrated. In Greenwood, the old-world charm of the Canadian West and the pioneering spirit of Canada is particularly strong. Even its time-worn accelerated degradation and central location in the Boundary Country offers an eerie charm or omen to the still remaining places around it. It reminds one of that powerful and always-present inescapable universal flow.

Flow of Time

Humanity is insignificant within its force. Regardless of who we are, where we are, what we had for breakfast, or how we drink our coffee, our world will keep on spinning at a speed of 1,800 km/hour. We will continue to be screeching around the sun at 108,000 km/hour, as our solar system spirals at 750,000 km/hour through this galaxy. Our planets will continue to exist for another 4 billion years, our Universe expanding for another 13.5 billion more.

Within this mind-numbing magnitude, we are part of the flow, and we are because of the flow.

All we can do is hang on to a minuscule significance, oblivious of the speed at which we hurtle through time and pace. For us, the sun came up in the morning and will go under this evening. The seasons will pass. Life will begin, friendships made, and partners lost. Civilizations will rise. Some will fall. Industries will blossom and die, presidents elected, killers executed, trees grow, suns collapse, species disappear, climates change and Black Holes born. Gold will be discovered. Fortunes made, and many will be lost.

We will grow old. Our lives will end. Soon, someone will forget.

We stand alone against the massive freight train of life. In the blistering madness of its momentum, we can only try to find a place - our place, a sense of purpose, some significance. A point to it all. The best we can hope for is conscious glimpses grasping at fleeting, subjective moments of awe, splendour, beauty, love, acceptance, and pleasure in the places and with the people we love.

There is no Heaven, no Valhalla, karma, or fortunate re-dos waiting on the other side.

This is it, a sliver of existence in time, a minuscule place in the Universe. Living is all we get. Holding on is what we have. The big question then is, “What to do with it?”

The answer, “Be”. The world forgets easily but definitely.

Greenwood, BC

Greenwood is all about history, it goes back to 1891 with the discovery of gold, silver and copper in this once thriving mining camp. Incorporated as a city on July 12, 1897, the BC Copper Company smelter was built in 1901 and brought prosperity to the city, becoming known as the “hub” of the Boundary. The surrounding mines brought fortune seekers from many parts of the world, but the boom was short-lived. After the first World War, copper prices plummeted and Greenwood’s success soon diminished. People left in droves and by 1940 the population had dwindled to a few hundred.

The forced internment of Japanese Canadians off the west coast of British Columbia in 1942 changed the course of Greenwood’s history. A ghost town from its former glory days, Greenwood became BC’s first internment camp. 1,200 people were crammed into the many empty buildings, hotels and houses; remnants from days long ago. The little city once again began to thrive.

The city has proven its resiliency over the years and now demonstrates an excellent destination for history buffs. Many adventures await you in this historic little city.

Observations

Enjoy the little feature we’ve put together about the museum of Greenwood. Yes, it is a museum, but we know it is also the memories, character and the personality of its people. We have already invested in Greenwood and is soon becoming residents of this charming little gem.

We invite the world to come and visit, stay and build a life with us.

Come to see Greenwood.

Our New Home

Hendrik

Boundary Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Photos

Firehall

Supreme Court

Coffee 

Erection

History

Traveling Cowboys: Connecting with the Past, Present and Future at the Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alberta

Connections

When I think of museums, I associate it with dead things - graveyards.

Suspended items, behind glass and access ropes, sadly manage, although barely, to cling to the last remnants of relevance. While no longer able to fulfill their intended purpose, they are relegated to serving merely as lingering remains of different times and places.

The Galt Museum & Archives in Lethbridge is refreshingly different. It is alive with enthusiastic Lethbridgians who are telling stories, creating exhibits and organizing community events that help to bridge the gap with the past by keeping it relevant in the present. They are also laying the foundations for what is to become of the community of Lethbridge.

At the impressive facility, you are educated about the human history of southwestern Alberta and the value of recognizing history for the role it plays in creating future opportunity.

It also has the best view in town.

GET YOUR DESTINATION OR BUSINESS FEATURED: Click Here

The number and variety of programs at The Galt (as it is known by locals) are staggering. It includes stories, art, and music. All of it is crafted around the heritage of the community. As it goes in Southern Alberta, there is always a lingering of a little alcohol around, concerning the beer and whiskey heritage of the area.

Observations

We checked in early with Dana Inkster to be ahead of the day's busy schedule at the Museum. We were glad we did because the sun rising over the gorge and the wind playing in the long green grass rewarded us with an incredible sight of the famous bridge, from the building's foyer. It is a view that promises to always be amazing, and rarely similar. The seasons change incredibly fast in this part of Alberta and tomorrow it is bound to look different than today.

This turned out to also be a metaphor for our visit.

The museum reminds you that things change and it happens faster than you expect. Yet, there are also things that remain consistent. Lethbridge is the breadbasket of the region and has been for some time. It was the core of its livelihood in the past and that which continues to define the community in future. This heritage creates a sense of comfort and belonging for Lethbridgians as they continue to lead the agricultural industries in Alberta. And the Galt Museum serves to remind us of this responsibility, every day.

Lethbridge continues to intrigue us.

Hendrik van Wyk

Old(er) Cowboy

We earn our livelihood from producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. Please become a patron at http://www.travelingcowboys.com if you want to see more of this and other stories.

Photos

The View

The Galt

The Bridge

Two Cowboys: Smithbilt Hats Stepping Forward in Time By Reaching for the Past with Paige1912 in Calgary Alberta

My Hat

There are many practical reasons for covering your head. I am told by Paige Callaway from Paige 1912 that people are finding more reasons to start wearing hats.

See This Video on Patreon: Click Here

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

The most obvious reason for wearing a hat is to protect yourself from the sun. Some people stay dry in the rain because of their hats. We know in New Zealand an umbrella is a worthless idea. It rains a lot, and the wind howls most of the time. Umbrellas gets destroyed. Hats work better. With no hair on my top, I prefer wearing a hat in New Zealand for both rain and sun.

A safety hardhat is standard attire on construction and industrial sites all over the civilised world. Many countries make it a law that workers must wear hat protection for safety.

The most important reason why a person would wear a hat has little to do with practicality and everything to do with identity and association. This still seems to be the most fertile frontier for hat designers and manufacturers. For example, hats play an important role in religion.  The rules around hats are endless. Must have a hat on. Must not have a hat on. Must cover your head. Must not cover your head. For example: "A shtreimel (Yiddish שטרײמל, plural שטרײמלעך shtreimlech) is a fur hat worn by many married Haredi Jewish men, particularly (although not exclusively) members of Hasidic Judaism, on Shabbat and Jewish holidays and other festive occasions." (Wikipedia) The same goes for a baseball cap, cowboy hat, and fedora. The list is endless.

There are countless written and unwritten rules about which type of hat, when, where and how to wear it. It is safe to say that a hat is a very personal item. It helps you to associate, and it helps you to differentiate. No two hat wearers wear a hat the same way. The simple way you wear your hat can speak volumes about your personally and outlook in life. It sends off non-verbal signals that are interpreted at a subconscious level.

Therefore, you should choose your hat carefully. You should wear it consciously. Like most clothing items it says a lot about you. (By the way, for those that don't wear hats, it says something about you too.)

Smithbilt Hat Service

We checked in with Brian at Smithbilt for our second instalment of this great business. We needed to get our hats serviced and also to learn more about caring for them.

While there, Brian demystified the bunkhouse roll for us. No, not that kind of roll you do after a hard day of work and a few bourbons. Rather, it happens when your hat's shape changes and it curls at the back or the edges. The reason? Hats have a memory. It takes the shape of how it is used.

Always “rest” your hat with the crown on the bottom. The crown is stiffer than the brim and tends to hold its shape better. If you lay your hat flat on the table the edges curl. It is prone to happen more in warmer and humid weather (heat is used to shape the hat). This is if you must rest it. Your hat should rather be on your head.

There is another reason you must store your hat with the crown at the bottom. "Else, your luck runs out." according to Brian. Well, there you have it. Simple things to do to look after your hat and your future.

We've had enquiries from as far as South Africa on how to get a Smithbilt hat. Brian is old-school. He likes to have your head with him when he sells you a hat. It has something to do with him helping you with your personally and with sizing. However, if you cannot make the trip, you can order it online and keep your fingers crossed you've chosen the right one: Do it here: https://smithbilthats.com/home/shop/. He provides great after sales service because as you know: A hat is for life!

If you want the hat that the Two Cowboys are wearing, it is called the Bull Rider. Get it here: https://smithbilthats.com/product/bull-rider

Paige 1912

Brian introduced us to the next generation of Hatters. Paige Callaway of Paige 1912 is collaborating with him to come up with a new line of more "fashionable" hats that should appeal to the younger more trendy generation. They appeal to us, and we are not young or trendy.

Stay tuned for more about this young designer. We like what she is doing to revive the old and refresh it with new designs in hats, shirts and other wearables.

Smithbilt Sponsoring the Two Cowboys

Smithbilt is now the official hat sponsor for the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Thank you to Brian and his team for making us look good. If you are keen on a Smithbilt Two Cowboys style hat, drop us a line. We have one to give away to a person we like. Comment on our Facebook page and let us know why you deserve to wear our hat: https://www.facebook.com/profiledproductions.

We look forward to meeting you.

Hendrik van Wyk

Cowboy Wearing a Smithbilt Hat

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

Photos

New Style

Hatter

The Original

Christmas Box 

Service

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Alberta Boot Company Calgary - Alberta

You Better Like Them a Lot


Ben Gerwing is the third generation, and the most recent caretaker at the Alberta Boot Company. He grew up in the factory. As young entrepreneur he is equally at home with customers in the front of the shop, than he is at designing, or stitching a pair of soles on a custom pair.

As typically happens with iconic producer businesses, the business is now much more than the Gerwing family. Like Smithbilt Hats, the company became an Albertan institution thanks to the Western traditions of the city and surrounds. It is an icon for every Canadian Cowboy and for those that still appreciate old school hand crafted quality leather footwear. The RCMP shops at Alberta Boot Company for their boots. So does many other law enforcement agencies in North America.

You can only get it at their store in Southern Calgary. You have to make the trip. Alberta Boot Company is now the only traditional leather boot manufacturer left in Western Canada, and one of the few businesses in its category that still make quality footwear that lasts. In Ben's own words: "When you buy a pair of Alberta Boots, you better like them. They are going to be with you for a very long time."


There are good reasons why Cowboy boots look the way they do. They are workwear first, and has been for centuries. Ben has a real appreciation for the tradition in the category. However, it is some of his newer designs in leather shoes that caught our eyes. He is modestly hand crafting very stylish half boots and leather shoes for a newer market. You just have to go and see them for yourself to appreciate them.

Alberta Boot was an idea that came from Clement Gerwing, Ben's grandfather, in the mid 1970's. He was selling western boots from Mexico and Quebec out of his wholesale footwear store. The demand for well made western boots was high and he didn't like the quality and products coming in. This was when he decided to start a new venture at an age many were considering retirement. Over a course of two years, in 1978 Alberta Boots was ready to go.

35 years later, they still make all their boots the same way they did at the beginning, even using quite a few of the original machines to add to the allure and individuality of every pair of boots produced.

Alberta Boot Company has outfitted Royalty, movie stars, entertainers, celebrities, athletes, public figures, religious leaders, and most importantly - ordinary people from all over the world who are intrigued by the mystique of the Wild West! "There is no greater compliment that we could receive," Ben Gerwing says, "than when a customer comes into our store and lays down their hard earned money for a pair of Alberta Boots. The fact that well-known people are wearing our product is an exciting thing, but it is the support of our regular clientele and the efforts of our dedicated staff that have brought our company to where it is today."

Observations


Unfortunately, there are not a lot of reasons to visit Albert Boot Company, often. 

The problem is that they make their boots so well that unless you are a collector, you have to invent reasons to visit. This is exactly what I do to have an excuse for a trip to Calgary for boot shopping. Every family member or friend that visit us in Alberta is carted off within the first week of their arrival for their first pair of boots. Real Cowboy Boots.

Every sibling that reaches the ripe age of eighteen also gets their custom pair of Alberta Boots. Why eighteen? Because the boots are so well made, you better be sure they fit. You are going to fall in love with them and wear them a long, long time.

It is easy to spot the people that wear Alberta Boots during the Calgary Stampede. They are the people with the smiles on their faces, because the boots are also really comfortable. The imported variety, that is taken out of the cupboard only for the once a year celebration, has a tendency to destroy your feet, and your love for the iconic western cultural celebration.

A trusty boot is like all well made garments. It takes on the character of the person that wears it. Alberta Boots are no different. Once you made friends with a pair of bull hides, they are friends for life. 

One particular event stays with me from a prior visit to the store. An old cowboy came through the door with a pair of Alberta Boots in need of a lot of attention.  After he was kindly informed that his boots were beyond resuscitation and repair this time, he just shrugged and left them on the counter. "I'll pick them up next week when you're done." he said in passing. On closer inspection, his boots has already been re-made several times, and apparently he is refusing to let go. That made an impression on me about the loyalty to, and love affair people have with their Alberta Boots.

If you ask me why I wear Alberta boots. Because an Alberta Boot ultimately becomes my boot. Ben and his team understand that very well. 

Hendrik van Wyk

Alberta Boot Cowboy

All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Boot Nest

Alien

New Generation

Nothing to be said...

Boots

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Smithbilt Hats, Calgary - Alberta

The White Hatters of Calgary

(Learn: **** Inspire: ** Amaze: **** Live: ****)
(The Two Cowboys Subjective Rate-o-Meter.   )

The company Smithbilt Hats Inc. has been crafting hats since 1919. After doing research on what type of business to open, a young entrepreneurial Morris Shumiatcher went to his local bank and borrowed $300 to buy Calgary Hat Works, and Smithbilt Hats was born. This means the company is actually older than the ninety-seven years it had its name.

In 1946 they've made the first white Cowboy Hat. The White Hat would become the internationally recognized symbol of the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary. In 1949, Mayor Don Mackay donned a White Smithbilt on a mission to promote Calgary and began handing out the White Hat to visiting dignitaries. The City of Calgary continues this tradition today. 

Most Calgarians know this story already, but do we still remember what it is all about?

Today, not many people wear hats and even fewer wear cowboy hats. This changes in this part of the world during Stampede, which takes place the first weeks of July every year. For this event, everyone in the region dusts off their cowboy hats and for one amazing week they are all Cowboys and Cowgirls again.

Every year, as we put away our hats after the festivities of the Stampede, I cannot help but wonder if there is still a place for a Cowboy in today's world? Is there still significance to the symbol of a Cowboy hat in today's Calgary and western society in general? 

Some may argue the city has lost its heritage in favour of becoming a typical North American metropolis, that it is indistinguishable from places such as Denver or Houston. Just a smaller version. Have we become what many feared may come from the multicultural melting pot, where everyone is somebody and nobody is actually anybody? What happened to the real Cowboys among us?

If you ask the older folk, they tell you quickly about the value system of the typical Cowboy. There are many versions, but it usually goes something like this:

• Honour: No one carries honour like a cowboy. To him, it's like breathing. It is who he is.
• Loyalty: He rides for the brand, for his family and for his people.
• Independence: The west and what it stands for is inbred in a cowboy. Some may call him a rebel. The pioneering spirit is what sets him apart.
• Bravery: A cowboy, whether working or rodeo, faces elements and dangerous animals without fear. He perseveres with his conviction and is ready to face the consequences, whether they are good or bad.
• A sense of Self: A cowboy has a unique ability to be himself. As Paul Brandt put it in his song for Alberta: "Independence in their veins." A person identifies himself with Cowboy is a person that knows who he is, and can be.

I reason that these are values that still prevail in today's world. In our travels, we've found them often, and in particular, prevailing amongst the people that make things: The Producers. The people responsible for the foundation of our economy and our society: 

• Honour: Producers realize that you don't take something that doesn't belong to you. You earn what you have through honourable hard work, by building something that provides value to the people around you.
• Loyalty: They are loyal to their identity, family, workers and communities. They are particularly loyal to the people that value who they are and appreciates them for what they do.
• Independence: The Producers are the people that ask: "Why not?". Their independence moves creative innovation and drives us forward to find better ways to live, care and look after ourselves and our world we live in.
• Bravery: Ask anyone that dares to establish a producing and manufacturing business just how hard it is to be successful. While you fight for a place in the market you are confronted with heavy taxes, levies, licenses, legislation and regulations. Every non-producer and service provider out there is determined to milk you as Producer, in every way possible for the very last drop of benefit they can extract from your efforts. Producers are the bravest among us.
• A sense of Self: Every Producer and maker know the satisfaction and value they derive from what they make. Many will tell you, they would be doing it, even if they cannot make a living from it. They have a rare gift of self-worth. Their skills and values cannot easily be taken from them.

For the similar values between that of a Cowboy and a Producer, I wear my Cowboy hat proudly - now a Smithbilt hat. I subscribe to the values of a Cowboy, and I salute the Producers amongst us, who dare to make something and make a difference.

Impressions

We thought we had the wrong building when looking for the Smithbilt shop and factory. We drove by a number of times before we realized that this is in fact where we should be. The Smithbilt branded truck outside confirmed our suspicions. The five-decade-old sign outside the building finally gave up the ghost this winter, which didn't make it any easier to know if we've arrived. You really must know the folks at Smithbilt personally, or be very, very committed to find the home of Calgary's white hat, to get to it.

Brian Hanson, today's proprietor, greeted us at the door in typical Cowboy fashion with a strong straight handshake and a firm look in the eye. We commented about the sign, and he assured us that Smithbilt is finally heading to a new building later this year. They are still debating if the sign should come along. 

When you see the photographs against the wall of this iconic company you realize just how profound a place this is. Even the Dalai Lama has one of Smithbilt's hats, and he wore it (for the photo opportunity at least), which goes against his faith. 

As Brian took us through their manufacturing processes we saw equipment and processes that are decades old. All are still doing the job for which they were originally invented, designed and built. 

I will let the video tell the rest of the story. 

The most pivotal observation of the day is the recognition that Smithbilt Hats is a piece of Calgary and a piece of what remains of the Cowboy values and heritage. Brian and his team of investors are only caretakers of this iconic brand, which will hopefully survive another one hundred years.

One proud part of me want Smithbilt to be the biggest hat business in the world, and for everyone to know about this amazing business, its heritage and its people. The other part wants to keep it a secret and preserve what it is. It is our brand, my Smithbilt. A happy place for a weary Cowboy in need of a new hat, and an opportunity to reminisce over the good times.

Hendrik van Wyk

Smithbilt Cowboy Hat-Wearing Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Quality Control

It Fits Now

The Original

Hatters

For Hats

White Hatters