Alberta Photographer Explores Abandoned Homesteads, Captures Their Nostalgic Beauty—and Their Stories

Photographer Lisa Jones and her photos of abandoned homesteads in southern Alberta, Canada. Courtesy of Lisa Jones and Rob Borovsky

Lisa Jones is a photographer who, by her own admission, prefers moody and overcast days for her photography because of the atmosphere it imbues on her nostalgic subject matter—old and abandoned homesteads.

It was a brooding and stormy day several weeks ago when Jones set out with her fiancé in her SUV, heading southeast from their home in Calgary, hoping to capture a three-in-one convergence: a storm, an abandoned homestead, and a sunny-yellow canola field all rolled into one shot.

“After a few hours of driving the backroads, we spotted a vibrant yellow canola field and next to it, an old vacant homestead. We were elated,” Jones, a former social worker, told The Epoch Times.

Rolling thunder and dark clouds cast a “haunting” tone as they photographed the scene.

An abandoned homestead beside a canola field in Wheatland, Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An abandoned barn amidst a canola field in Southern Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

Jones has been exploring desolate homesteads like this one across southern Alberta for several years, captivated by their nostalgic wonder. Some are over a century old. Each has a story to tell.

“These structures offer a glimpse into the past and spark my curiosity about the lives and stories of those who once occupied them,” she said. “Standing inside or outside a derelict homestead, it’s impossible for me not to feel a connection to the lives who once lived there.”

She says the story of their decline is a common one on the prairies.

An abandoned homestead on an old farm in southern Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An abandoned farm in southern Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

“With the decline of industries like coal mining and grain elevator operations, remnants of some of the old buildings remain standing and offer a glimpse into our region’s past,” Jones said, adding that derelict homesteads now dot the prairie provinces.

“I feel driven to carry on in my exploration of this region and see what else is out there to discover,” she said. “Although these structures may be abandoned, I feel as if through my lens, they come alive again.”

Jones’s career as a photographer began seven years ago—not with old homesteads but horned owls and other wildlife. Frequently finding owls in the windows of old barns or under sagging homestead roofs, she was drawn in by the tales behind the structures. She began seeking them out specifically, both for photography and to satisfy her curiosity.

A great horned owl photographed inside an abandoned structure. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

Horned owls in an abandoned structure. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

One of the best locations in Alberta for finding abandoned homesteads is the Vulcan area south of Calgary. One sunny and very windy day last fall, Jones and her fiancé travelled to the ghost town of Rowley and happened across a relative of someone who owns an abandoned wind-powered grist mill from 1915.

“We mentioned that we would love the opportunity to photograph it,” Jones said. One phone call later and they were free to roam the property. The mill was overgrown by brush and trees and had a rickety steeple poking above the treeline. On the property they discovered two more nostalgic wonders: two rusted out vintage automobiles embedded in weeds—more fuel for Jones’s photographic imagination.

“I could smell a musty, earthy scent that is often associated with dampness and decay,” she said. “I had to be careful photographing these vehicles, as there were several potential hazards.” Jones trudged carefully through scattered twisted metal, vehicle parts, and broken glass to photograph the homestead through the rust-brown car interior.

An abandoned grist mill framed by the interior of a decaying vintage automobile. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

Another old automobile by the mill. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An abandoned grist mill near Vulcan, Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

Carrying her camera, Jones then ventured inside the mill for more photos. She has learned that this mill had never been used for its intended purpose, nor finished, but was instead used as a blacksmith shop on the farm. She says the farmhouse probably collapsed and vanished many years ago, taking with it the stories of its former inhabitants.

“Things were so different back then, and I can’t help but imagine how hard life must have been and how hard they must have worked to provide for their families,” Jones said. “I found myself intrigued by the mystery of these old places. Who lived here? What is their story? And why did they leave?”

The interior was tiny, and Jones began feeling claustrophobic. She noted the milling mechanism was supported by four heavy timbers. There were hooks on the walls and metal parts littering the floor. But as the wind howled outside, causing the structure to creek, Jones started to feel more than a little uneasy. The moody atmosphere was getting to her.

“There’s just something about the wind blowing through an abandoned structure to make it feel emptier than it is,” she said.

This summer, Jones had planned to explore abandoned homesteads in Saskatchewan—a bucket list item of hers—but put the trip on hold. She'll instead probably pursue another primary passions of hers: photographing wildlife, such as owls, birds of prey, and bears.

More Photographs by Lisa Jones

Horned owls in an old barn. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An abandoned barn. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

A collapsed farmhouse and old wagon on a long-abandoned farm. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

A hauntingly beautiful abandoned building in a field. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

The sun has long set on this homestead in southern Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An abandoned homestead near Vulcan, Alberta. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

A young bald eagle. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

A black bear displays a curious white marking on its chest. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

A horned grebe. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

An American pika. Courtesy of Lisa Jones

Photographer Lisa Jones. Courtesy of Rob Borovsky