Three Rivers Region

[newsimaddict]

May I ask where this might be? I google'd but not much luck for me...(love that seaport area)
Brilliant work by the way...nice to see the collaboration is going so well!


EDIT:  It's the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia [linkie].  Here's the pic off Wikipedia.



I'm pretty sure that the one I posted is from my personal photos (I've visited a number of times), although I don't recall taking it.  I remember having to artfully crop it to avoid getting any mountains or urban area in it.

Thanks for the kind words about collaboration and big 'grats for joining the Double-0 Club with post 9600. -DE

[dedgren]

Only 3,999 more posts to go!

Our friend newsimaddict pushed us across the 9,600 milestone earlier this afternoon.  At the rate we've gone here at SC4D, we're less than a month from 10,000.  I have no words, folks...

* * *

I'd be remiss if I didn't wish a happy birthday to 3RR Regular^* Alek (Alek King of SC4, aka Aleking).  Our dense urban core-creating friend hasn't been by in a few years, but we keep the porch light on for him, and wish him the best, whatever he's up to these days.  I'll note that I've fallen down on recognizing recent 3RR birthdays- I might have a breather and be able to catch those up tomorrow.

* * *

Last hint on the second quad.



Hey-



Someone's gotta guess it- then I can make the kickoff post and we can move on to the last one for the weekend.

* * *

I've spent the afternoon in the bowels of the Gazetteer [linkie].  Haven't been down there in about two years.  What I'll say is that I have a whole new respect for anyone who would voluntarily choose to go into the supreme being business.  3RR seemed so finite when I started out- it's scary to realize that I've actually forgotten about stuff that I've already done.

Anyway, I think I've got a handle on what I need to for now.  I'll put out once again my forlorn call for any folks who would like to exercise their creative writing skills and help me write Gazetteer entries.  All you need is vast imagination...

Anyway, here's the soundtrack for this afternoon.



Reflective of my mood at times.  Some was played at 11.

* * *

Something you might not know is that there's a whole bunch of invisible threads behind 3RR where the collaborators have, over the years, kicked around ideas, discussed stuff and generally waited on me to, you know... finally get around to it.  There's a wealth of information and content there, and I'd be remiss if I didn't note a member of the team, now sadly absent: Thomas (barnatom).  Thomas hasn't been by 3RR in quite a while, so I've never had a proper chance to say thank you to him.  He did an amazing job finding and organizing proposed content- you will start seeing the payoff for having done that fairly soon.  Thomas, if you are out there anywhere, you have a home and friends waiting in 3RR.

One of the things I found while going back over that info were a couple of posts I made on brands (gasoline, grocery stores, fast food) that would be appropriate for the region given its location in north-central North America.  Here are ones that I came up with- many are matched to existing BATs.

[tabular][row][data]These would be service station brands found in the 3RR area, as they all have outlets in either Minnesota or central Canada.

         

         

We should get a nice mix of BATs out of these.[/data][/row][/tabular]

and

[tabular][row][data]Yep!

There will certainly be these...



...and these.



Maybe even a few of these.

[/data][/row][/tabular]

and

[tabular][row][data]Four supermarket chains that operate in Minnesota or central Canada.

         

I'd suspect one or two of these have been BATted.

Wal-Mart and Costco also sell groceries.[/data][/row][/tabular]

The question, folks, is do we have some Regulars from, say Manitoba, western Ontario, northern Minnesota or eastern North Dakota who would like to propose any additions or updates to that list, or even new brand categories?  A brand does not need to be currently in use in the area as long as it was active there in the past.  We're particularly interested in brands with BATs already in existence.  Thanks for your input, as always, in advance.


David

^* 3RR Regulars are everywhere, as they are folks who've only had to post here, or over at 3RR-ST or the 3RR Blog, at least once.

586509

[threestooges]

With so much going on here these days I think Joan (Jmouse) will be happy to get her quad.

I've been a bit more scarce than I'd care to be around here these days, David (have a paper coming due in a week or so, and the internship is keeping me busy), but I've been following closely what's been going on. I haven't forgotten about a project I promised some time back either.
-Matt

[ecoba]

Matt beat me to it. That definitely is Joan's quad, and I thought it might have been with the second hint, but wasn't sure. I can't believe that we're only a month away from 10.000 views, David, that is... huge.

Ethan

[Rayden]

Matt beat me to it. That definitely is Joan's quad, and I thought it might have been with the second hint, but wasn't sure. I can't believe that we're only a month away from 10.000 views, David, that is... huge.

Ethan

You probably meant 10,000 replies, isn't it?

[mayorfabz]

Ooooooh, the Who? I am definitely in love with the brilliant intros to 'Pinball Wizard' and 'Teenage Wasteland'. And Roger Daltrey's presence has always been amazing.
You seem to have a splendid music collection, David. Do you have a list somewhere? I might want to revisit my initial reluctance towards Pink Floyd, since it was based on a twisted prejudice: guys 2 or 3 years older than me used to listen to Pink Floyd and Supertramp, and they were the ones who scored with girls, whereas I was struggling to dissimulate my acne and dental braces. I ended up hating pretty much everything connected to them, including the music they were listening to... 
Man, it took me all these years to admit it, thanks for the therapy...

On another topic:

The question, folks, is do we have some Regulars from, say Manitoba, western Ontario, northern Minnesota or eastern North Dakota who would like to propose any additions or updates to that list, or even new brand categories?  A brand does not need to be currently in use in the area as long as it was active there in the past.  We're particularly interested in brands with BATs already in existence.  Thanks for your input, as always, in advance.

Although I am not from the listed regions, I would suggest a Tim Hortons: largest chain in Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hortons)

Fabien

Edit 10:14:30 AM PS sorry I missed the Tim Hortons sign in your post, David. Please ignore my comment. On my way to the optician. May I suggest Canadian Tire instead ?

[calibanX]

Well, I'm excited about the collaboration David. This is an awesome undertaking. I applaud your investment in time and energy. I would love to take part should you have a quad to throw my way.

On another note, I thought I would make a suggestion regarding service stations located in the 3RR region. Holiday and Holiday Stationstores are EVERYWHERE in Minnesota. Their Corporate headquarters is located in my home city of Bloomington, MN. They seem to be sprinkled across the northern half of the U.S. and lower Canada as well. Alaska has them too according to their website.

You might recognize this:




Regards

Geoff

[ldvger]

In regards to featured brands, what about beer?  The upper midwest has many local breweries that distribute pretty much only in thier areas.  Also sodas, like Vernor's Ginger Ale. 

Lora


EDIT:  Well, Lora, ever since 3RR lost Coors

[tabular][row][data]

• Coors Creek (Stream - SW Quad Granite Twp - lat. 49° 13' 35 N / lon. 95° 17' 15" W - Map key 1-C) Coors Creek is a nine-tenths mile/one and one-half kilometer tributary stream of Liv's Creek, and joins the latter just above Thunderbird Falls.  The creek rises on the southern slopes of the south peak of the Deux Tetons, and its short length is marked by a number of large springs.  The name is reputed to come from the same Adolph Coors of beer brewing fame.  Shortly after the arrival of the DW&W to the area in 1871, Coors evaluated a site near modern-day Wood Ridge for a brewery.  The springs along what became known as Coors Creek were said to produce water perfect for the brewery's needs, but it was ultimately determined not feasible to pipe it in sufficient quantity over the distance required.  Coors moved on to Golden, Colorado, and the rest is history.  The little known fact might be noted that, perhaps out of Adolph Coors fond recollection of the region, Three Rivers Region was for years the easternmost place on the North American continent where his company's beer was sold.

[/data][/row][/tabular]

...that, by the way, has been in the Gazetteer [linkie] for over two years just waiting for this post to come along- cross my heart...

...things have been pretty thin, information-wise, on the beer front.  As we know from a bit ago, the "Alaskan" brand



makes it to the region despite company disclaimers (as pointed out by our friend jumpjet2k [linkie]) to the contrary.

But I can't believe that the sturdy folk who settled 3RR wouldn't have built a big honking brewery to call their own.  How about it, folks- what's a good name and logo for a fine regional brew?  We might even be able to get someone to BAT something around that. -DE

[mayorfabz]

Is there any form of liquor control board in 3RR to regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages, comparable to Quebec's SAQ or Ontario's LCBO ? I can't remember for sure but I thought I saw a LCBO outlet on the STEX once.
Yep, found it: http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=14217

There is also Mac's convenience stores, which we in Quebec call Alimentation Couche-Tard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac%27s_Convenience_Stores

You can also find some Canadian banks on the STEX (RBC, TD Bank, CIBC, Bank of Montreal, Scotia Bank etc.) for small cities. But I don't want to be suspected of Canadian imperialism towards the colonization of 3RR...
Fabien


EDIT:  I pretty much figured that any chain establishment in 3RR would just as likely be Canadian as from the 'States.  Banks are a really good suggestion- U.S. there's probably Wells Fargo and maybe KeyBank

   

up in those parts- doesn't Scotia Bank



have branches in all the provinces?- I remember seeing them in Yukon. -DE

[Ryan B.]

As far as banks that may be prevalent in 3RR, there's M&T, HSBC, First Niagara (just kidding), Wells Fargo . . . and that's just a starter.

[bakerton]

I just can't believe that this is coming along quite well. Collabration is a big reality and I am waiting nice and patient for mine. I gotta stop lurking and post more often. I guess lurking can overstay and it got to go home now. Heather is very luck to be in Mississippi with 70's and I will be getting 70's by Wednesday here in South East Wisconsin. On a side note, my current region I am playing on SC4 is Northeast corner of 3RR and the wierd thing is my quad for collabration is part of my region. I haven't develope it yet. I thought I point it out. Keep it all rolling David. Your 3RR regular from Kenosha, Wisconsin USA, Bakerton (JKB)

[BigSlark]

I rather like the ring of "Grand Lake Brewing of Aurora, Ltd." Their water comes from the cold, clear depths of Grand Lake, grain from the prairies of 3RR, and they import the finest English and German hops for their brews.

Founded in 1891 by brothers-in-law David Yuengling III and Anton Busch, Jr. (descended and similar to very real characters in the 19th century beer industry, I might add) who were asked by their families to not set up breweries in the United States. Dejected, they found their way to Three Rivers, married twins from Aurora, and decided that they should start a brewery, as they didn't really know how to do much else.

After sampling the waters of Grand Lake and realizing that vast amounts of high-quality barley were available locally, their settled on a neutral name for their product, hoping that their prominent family members wouldn't find out about their new venture. Their blonde ale, Northern Peaks Ale, and stout, Mount Elbert Stout, was made in the summer and during winter they produced Beaver Dam Marzen and Old Bear Bock. The new breweries products were well loved across 3RR, the North Woods, and Canadian Prairies, so much so that a tavern owner in Superior, Wisconsin took a barrel of Golden Peaks Ale to the Exposition Universelle of Paris in 1900. Needless to say, this hidden brew from Aurora, Three Rivers won the "Grand Prix de Bière" and became an international sensation, beating out much more highly regarded Belgian, Bavarian, and English breweries. Despite the anger of Yuengling and Busch's families, they were expanded their operations with a huge new brick brewery just north of downtown Aurora in 1905, allowing them to produce an unprecedented 1 million barrels a year.


1905 Brewery in Aurora

Grand Lake Brewery is still going strong, its had several additions since 1905 and Grand Lake Brewing of Aurora, Ltd. now produces 12 million barrels of beer a year that is shipped around the world. They have shoved off corporate takeover attempts for decades, the descendants of Yuengling and Busch still own and operate the firm. Their beer is held in the highest regard by all citizens of 3RR and is one of their proudest exports.

[superhands]

I'd  pass on the opportunity to try Ships Green Ale if I was you...



the TR-CWA (country women's association) have found it makes a nice salad dressing though.

-Dave

[dedgren]

Inspired by Dave (superhands) and based on Kevin's (BigSlark) excellent backstory, I spent an hour or so this evening making beer labels.

The Grand Lake Brewing Company, or G.L.B.C., as some advertising nitwit persuaded the board to rename the business in the 80s (it has since been changed back) has, over the years, brewed everything from the cheapest canned suds



to award-winning ales the lineage of which dates back over 100 years,



and a little bit of everything in between.

   

I can't do much better than Kevin's company history- I'll revise it a bit when I do his quad, because of course he managed to be assigned the one where GLBC Grand Lake Brewery Company's brewery is located.  That looks like a pretty good match, I'd say.

Well, we've all been a bit



here today.  I've been distracted by having to prep for a trial tomorrow in a case where I was notified last night the settlement had fallen apart in.  So Joan's backstory compilation (yes, Matt (threestooges), you were right once again, my friend) and the third quad...

...who will it be? who will it be?

...will have to wait just a bit longer.

Later.


David

587208

[joelyboy911]

I recognise this one...

...almost looks like a bit of Kiwiana in 3RR.

[ecoba]

Hmm... some very interesting branding going on here. Are these all going to be BATed and put on the 3RREX, David?

And, yes Silvio, I did mean 10,000 replies.

Ethan

[adroman]

Wow, some seriously impressive collaboration around here, David! 

I'm anticipating quite a show when things come back together. I like the idea of personal brand names, I have a Supermarket in the works at the moment, would you be interested in the IGA version of it? I'm already doing it because we have IGA downunder, and I guess I could do a few of your other brands as well. Let me know what you think, it's as easy as changing names in the end. 

Looking forward to more,
Adrian.

[Korot]

Only 3,999 more posts to go!

No matter how much I'd enjoy it if we were able to do about 4000 posts/month, but to reach 10.000, it really only takes less than 400.

And I also see that finally the collaboration project has begun? It would be about time, I think a lot around here thought that it would never happen. It has taken some time, but finally here it is. I guess good things come to those who wait.

Regards,
Korot

[superhands]

ahhh......  my thirst has been drowned

excellent back story btw Kevin.

-Dave

[Ryan B.]

David & John - good news from Western New York tonight!

Due to the fact that the library where I work is closed on Wednesdays, I have finished the route & guide signs for Diddicks-SW.

A thumbnail is below - click for full resolution!



The SC4Model files are attached in a ZIP file below.