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Carbide cap lamp display



Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

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"It was a lifetime job for most of them that they had enjoyed and the job had left them. They hadn't left the job!"
Mining Camp Memories, Edna Shephard

The Drumheller mines thrived as long as people continued to burned coal. However, most people switched to natural gas and oil in the 1950's. Mines closed, as operating costs rose, and demand for coal was plummeting. King coal would take its final bow and make way for the new generation of oil and gas.

Alberta's love affair with coal started in the early 1800's, and continues today. Currently in Alberta, eleven operating coal mines continue to provide almost fifty percent of Canada's total coal production. Most of these mines, however, bear little resemblance to the underground mines of Drumheller. These are strip mines, where the coal is stripped off the surface with large machines. As for underground mining, there is only one operating underground mine left in Alberta. Opened in Grande Cache in 2005, this mine continues to send men and machine into the deeps.

As our world struggles with global warming, researchers are looking for alternative forms of energy and trying to improve old ones. Coal is the world's most abundant fossil fuel, and new technologies are making it possible to use coal more cleanly and efficiently every day. With coal powering over half of our province's electricity demands, a cleaner burning coal will make for a cleaner Alberta.

Besides generating electricity, coal is used in the production of a variety of products such as iron and steel. The gases, oils and tar that can be extracted from coal are used to manufacture a wide range of products including perfume, mothballs, and baking powder.

Today there are no longer operating coal mines in the Drumheller Valley however, we continue to celebrate our unique history through the operation of The Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site in East Coulee, Alberta.

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Atlas Coal Mine Tipple
20th Century
East Coulee, Alberta


Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society