Gravel Pits
Summary
West of Vancouver there were once a variety of gravel and sand pits, created and mined to provide the aggregate material used in the production of concrete. These deep, sandy pits provided excellent filming locations for various Stargate episodes, either to represent destroyed land or some sort of mine or quarry.
Over time many of the pits have been overtaken by residential or commercial development, so that only one remains that appears as it did when it was used in filming.
Location
According to former locations manager Lynn Smith, three different gravel pits were used for Stargate filming. Stokes Pit in Surrey was used in 5.07 "Beast of Burden". Part of it has become a commercial development called Campbell Heights. Some residents are fighting to keep the area from being developed further, because there are a variety of endangered species living there.
Jackson Pit in Coquitlam was used as the area where the Stargate got buried in 3.17 "A Hundred Days". It was also the pit full of Jaffa slaves in 7.04 "Orpheus". That pit still exists in its original form. Seen in person, it has very steep, high walls, but its floor is surprisingly small area-wise. As he described on the 7.04 "Orpheus" DVD commentary, director Peter DeLuise asked Michael Shanks to film late one night there, to get a shot of Daniel overlooking the area where Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Rya'c are imprisoned. All he does is turn his head, but it's the only shot that ties the pit to SG-1 at night. He also mentions that the wide shot of the pit is digitally enhanced to make it look much bigger than it is, and to make it appear that SG-1 is higher above it than the actors really were.
The Municipal Pits, also in Coquitlam, were used in various other episodes. Those pits are gone completely, with one half turned into housing and the other in the midst of housing construction. It might be observed that the houses are very nice, even if the weather frequently isn't.
Screencaps
Photos, April 2009 — click to enlarge
Episodes
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Further Reading
--Michelle 20:02, 7 June 2009 (UTC)