The View from Here: Panoramas of Change from Alberta's Fire Lookouts
The 2015 MLP field season was different than most: some repeat photography was completed, but the main focus was to visit as many staffed fire lookouts in Alberta’s southern Rocky Mountains as possible. While at these windy, exposed aeries we spoke with fire lookout observers to try and understand what it was like to live and work in these remote spaces. Their experiences helped inform the creation of large panoramas showing the “workaday” views these lookouts commanded. This gallery presents a sampling of the images created in these high places.
Mt. Baldy and Barrier Lake: MLP 2015
The view from the saddle on Barrier Mountain, Kananaskis Country, Alberta.
Mt. Baldy and Barrier Lake: Circa 1960s
The B&W overlay is taken from the fire lookout observer’s landscape location guidebook.
Kananaskis Lakes from the Lookout: MLP 2015
The view looking west over the Upper and Lower Lakes
Kananaskis Lakes: 1950’s and 2015
The historic B&W inset is from the fire lookout observer’s guidebook.
The Ghost River: 1960’s and 2015
Looking into the Ghost River drainage area and the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
On Carbondale Hill: MLP, 2015
This panorama looks down over the Castle River in the south west corner of Alberta.
Carbondale Hill: 1914 and 2015
Infill and treeline advance are evident, as is evidence of fire on both the modern and historic images.
Willoughby Peak: 1913 and 2015
Historic inset images from Morrison Bridgland’s 1913 Crowsnest survey.
Mary Sanseverino
Currator of the View from Here: Panoramas of Change from Alberta's Fire Lookouts
In 2015 Mary Sanseverino joined Master’s student Kristen Walsh for a season of visiting (on foot) as many of southern Alberta’s staffed fire lookout towers as possible. From these lofty lookouts Mary was able to create panoramic mountain images – the better to allow viewers to get “a feel” for the immensity of the mountain landscape. The images in this gallery represent a small portion those created as part of the 2015 field season.