JUL to AUG daily 9:30-20:30.
SEP to 09-OCT daily 10-17.
Groups (+): Adults CAD 5.50, Pupils CAD 4.50. [2006]
Coal Mine
| Location: | At Drumheller. From Drumheller, Hwy 10 East. |
| Open: |
MAY to JUN daily 9:30-17:30. JUL to AUG daily 9:30-20:30. SEP to 09-OCT daily 10-17. |
| Fee: |
Adults CAD 6, Children (0-6) free, Family (2+2) CAD 18. Groups (+): Adults CAD 5.50, Pupils CAD 4.50. [2006] |
| Classification: |
Coal Mine
|
| Light: | electric. |
| Dimension: | |
| Guided tours: | self guided |
| Bibliography: | |
| Address: |
Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site, Drumheller Valley, Box 521 East Coulee, Alberta, Canada T0J 1B0, Tel: +1-403-822-2220, Fax: +1-403-822-2225.
E-mail: |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:17:12 $ |
| 1903 | first coal lease taken by James E. Trumble, a local rancher. | |
| 1907 | American entrepreneur Jerome "Sam" Drumheller bought the farm of Thomas Greentree. | |
| 1911 | Drumheller founded. | |
| 1912 | first mine in the valley, Newcastle Mine, started. | |
| 07-MAR-1907 | first mine opened by the Atlas Coal Co. Ltd. | |
| 05-MAY-1928 | . | |
| 1947 | peak year with a production of two million tons of coal. | |
| 1956 | Atlas #3 closed. | |
| 1979 | Atlas Mine closed. | |
| 1984 | Atlas #4 closed. | |
| 2002 | became a National Historic Site. |
Atlas Coal Mine is one of the most complete mining museums in Canada, preserved as a historic site after the mines were closed. The mines were sealed up by the mine company when abandoned, as required by law, so there is no underground tour. Some sights are the Miner's Wash House, the new Lamp House, and Mine Offices. There is also an original miner's shack, built of straw, mud, and manure. It is possible to view the area self guided on various trails.
The highlights of the site are the last 8-storey high wooden tipple in Canada and the coal car ride. The tipple is visited on a guided tour, which starts every hour, and is included in the entrance fee. The coal car ride is called Mantrip Ride, a two ton coal car is pulled by an antique battery powered mine locomotive There is also a 20 minutes introductory video called Thunder in the Valley.
The history of the mines is really interesting, some stories sound like the plot of a western movie. The American entrepreneur Jerome "Sam" Drumheller came to the area in 1907. He knew that a railway would soon be built through the district, so he tried to get rich. He bought the ranch owned by Thomas Greentree, which had a seam of coal. The coal was obviously needed by the railroad. He also set out a townsite on the land in 1910, which was named Drumheller by the Canadian Northern Railway Company in 1911.
In the 1911, the coal mining started at the Newcastle Mine, but subsequently eight other mines opened in the same year. Production increased steadily until the Depression of the 1930s. In 1921, after only 10 years, there were 27 operating mines. The two mines of Midland Coal Company were producing 1.5 million tons of coal annually, employing about 2,000 men. No. 2 Mine was the most modern mine of the area.
The Atlas Coal Co. Ltd was owned by James McCulloch, James O.E. Holden, and Dr. Omer H. Patrick. James O.E. Holden was the first president, then Dr. Omer H. Patrick was president until he died in 1947. They opened their first mine named Atlas Coal Mine in 1917. The Atlas Coal Mine described on this page was their second mine with the same name, founded in 1928. Nearby a second mine was opend, called Murray mine, and the town of East Coulee established.
The end of steam powered trains and the discovery of oil and gas deposits, ended the era of the coal mines. The mines shut down one after the other, today there is no operating mine in the area any more.
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