Lindsay Park

• Parking: Street parking in front of the Sacred Heart Convent
• Washrooms: None



Eerily red river.

• Paved path

A Spooky Morning

A thick blanket of smoke from forest fires to the west covered the city this morning.  I had seen the beautiful red moon last night and the red sun this morning,  but I was surprised and a bit disturbed when I crossed the foot bridge and saw the blood red reflection of the sun in the river below me.  It was ominous, almost biblical in that no nonsense Old Testament way. But it turned out not to be a bad omen after all, and I very much enjoyed my walk along the Elbow River on either side of Lindsay Park.

Parish Hall... Train Station....Alberta Ballet...

The community has installed interpretive signs along the path to share the rich history of this, one of the oldest areas in our city.  I learned about the relationship of the original First Nation peoples with this land, the railroad that carried European settlers to the area, the Catholic missionaries and St. Mary's Cathedral, which is still active today.  

One of the most interesting buildings in the area was built in 1905 as the parish hall for St. Mary's, but was then sold the CNR 1911 to be used as a train station.  After it was gutted in a fire in 1985 the Calgary City Ballet Society raised the funds to restore the building, and it now houses the Alberta Ballet.  We should all aspire to grow so old and be so useful!

The noble squirrel.

Having had my fill of urban history, I wandered around Lindsay Park, tucked in behind the Talisman Center.  The place was seething with what many might call nuisances - squirrels, magpies, crows and pigeons.  I know I didn't have any magnificent wildlife encounters this morning, but I really enjoyed hanging out with these critters.  Overflowing with character and energy, I began to understand why they dominate our urban landscape - they don't take guff from anyone!