Watching the Sun Set at the End of the World
This photo is available for purchase as a print!
A bit of an offbeat landmark, but a landmark nonetheless. Welcome to the End of the World.
This wall once held up a roadway that dipped into the river valley, shortcutting from Belgravia to Fox Drive and the Whitemud Freeway. This city, however, is literally built on sand, and thus any structure near the banks is likely to erode and collapse given sufficient time and insufficient shoring. Such was the fate of Keillor Road.
This remnant of a retaining wall has become local legend, known as The End of the World. It has become a semi-popular place to sit, smoke weed, drink beer, and watch the sun set over the North Saskatchewan River and its valley. It is not without its dangers, however; the drop off the edge is quite high, and the nearby banks remain extremely unstable. As a result, the local neighborhood is trying to have its access permanently cut off, have the area policed regularly, have the wall demolished once and for all to keep people off and away, or to build proper safety measures and open it up for public use.
I have lived most of my life in Edmonton, and have seen The End of the World numerous times from below or from across the river, but this was my first visit to the wall itself. I wanted to photograph it as it is today, as it is in legend, poems, and undoubtedly also songs and stories or local lore.
If you seek this place out, please be respectful by not littering and not being too noisy, and please be safe as it is actually a pretty hazardous area.
Thanks to JameyMPhoto for reminding me this place exists though his own photos!
Watching the Sun Set at the End of the World
This photo is available for purchase as a print!
A bit of an offbeat landmark, but a landmark nonetheless. Welcome to the End of the World.
This wall once held up a roadway that dipped into the river valley, shortcutting from Belgravia to Fox Drive and the Whitemud Freeway. This city, however, is literally built on sand, and thus any structure near the banks is likely to erode and collapse given sufficient time and insufficient shoring. Such was the fate of Keillor Road.
This remnant of a retaining wall has become local legend, known as The End of the World. It has become a semi-popular place to sit, smoke weed, drink beer, and watch the sun set over the North Saskatchewan River and its valley. It is not without its dangers, however; the drop off the edge is quite high, and the nearby banks remain extremely unstable. As a result, the local neighborhood is trying to have its access permanently cut off, have the area policed regularly, have the wall demolished once and for all to keep people off and away, or to build proper safety measures and open it up for public use.
I have lived most of my life in Edmonton, and have seen The End of the World numerous times from below or from across the river, but this was my first visit to the wall itself. I wanted to photograph it as it is today, as it is in legend, poems, and undoubtedly also songs and stories or local lore.
If you seek this place out, please be respectful by not littering and not being too noisy, and please be safe as it is actually a pretty hazardous area.
Thanks to JameyMPhoto for reminding me this place exists though his own photos!