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.

Medicine Hat Stampede Midway 2016

Every year the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of the Medicine Hat Stampede are welcome highlights of summertime in "the Gas City". This year, in addition to shooting a few pictures of the midway like I always do, I decided that I'd also shoot and edit a new video.  

There are a lot of things I love about exploring the midway. For one, it reminds me of being a kid. You're also likely to run into half of the people you know in town, and many that you haven't seen in years. The midway is colourful, noisy, a great place to people watch, and with the right stylistic editing and music, I think it's especially dynamic. That's how I see it anyway. Here's my visual take on the 2016 Medicine Hat Stampede Midway. Explore more of my work here. 

A photo posted by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on Jul 28, 2016 at 12:25pm PDT

Carson Mansion in Eureka, California

Completed in 1886, the Carson Mansion located in the historic Old Town of Eureka, California, is often considered "the grandest Victorian home in America". Since 1950 the Carson Mansion has been a private club, but it was originally the home of William Carson, a Northern California lumber baron who made his fortune from the nearby Redwoods. 

The structure blends every major style of Victorian architecture, primarily Queen Anne, and itself is constructed out of redwood. The property isn't open to the public, however just viewing it from the street is quite impressive. The level of detail and embellishment is incredible, and unlike other historic structures from the same period, this one still looks much the same as when it was built. Eureka's Carson Mansion is like something straight out of a fairy tale.