Architecture in 1920

By: Kassy

Have you wondered what architecture is? Architecture is a psychological need. What this means is that it is a need of the mind. Architecture is the art and science of constructing a building. In the studies that I did, to learn about Big Valley’s Culture, I learned about Big Valley’s second school. I learned about its structure, which was made of wood and brick, and I learned about the Rail house, and how it looked inside and out. I also learned about the Round House. In this summary, I will explain about these three buildings.

The first of these three buildings I’m going to talk about is the Rail house. The Rail house was built out of wood, and on the inside there were two waiting rooms; one for the men and one for the women because most women didn’t appreciate men spitting tobacco all over the place. There was also a baggage room, and an upstairs with rooms, for the family that owned the place, to sleep in, in case trains were coming in late.

The next building is Big Valley’s second school. (See the pictures on the Education page.) This school was built out of wood and brick. It had 3 to 4 rooms, and went from grades 1 to 6. The school was 2 stories high, and built on a hill. On this present day in 2004 this is the 4th school built in Big Valley.

The last building is the Roundhouse. The roundhouse was built out of brick, and had been built to turn the trains around when they brought in imports from other areas or when the train was going to another town.

Even though the buildings here aren’t as fascinating as the CN tower they are important to the town of Big Valley, and to the people of this small town.

Historic pictures from McCarty, Tom. (1977, c1974). As We Remember Big Valley. Big Valley, Alta. : T. McCarty. pp. 16, 28

Architecture in 2004

By Fiona

The Science Creation Museum

The builders have better designs every time they make a building. These new buildings can live through strong storms and natural disasters in the world. They have all this because they learned from earlier buildings problems and they want more homes safe for people. For business buildings they are putting more air vents in the halls and offices. They are allowing for more room so they can move around. If it is in the city they are putting sound proof windows, so the people don’t get annoyed hearing cars passing by, or honking horns. This is not a large problem in a small village like Big Valley.

Some of the new buildings that came into Big Valley not long ago, are found below. It looks like a house, but it's a Science Creation Museum built in 2003. It's still being worked on right now. The middle picture is Jensen’s Flooring built in 2003. It's finished.

This is Jensen’s Flooring

The last building is the most interesting building in Big Valley. It's located on Main Street and is well know as the Jimmy Jock Boardwalk. It was named after a Chinese restauranteur who ran the restaurant on the site for many years, until he passed away. The original building was torn down and the space remained empty for years, until 1992 when local entrepreneurs came up with the boardwalk idea, with its many unique little shops and displays done in an old west style.

This is Jimmy Jock Boardwalk

Now, Big Valley is not a small town, people from different towns are moving in. Also, new buildings are being built every year.