|
The Mercoal Mine |
| The Mercoal mine was opened on the western arm of the
Coal Branch in 1920 by Louis Stupor. Mercoal was known for high quality
coal suitable for railway and industrial use. In 1941, the mine was
acquired by Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd and was greatly expanded.
Then population went from just over 200 to nearly 825 in five years.
When mines started closing in the western Coal Branch in the 1950's, many of the workers moved to Mercoal for employment. The new workers complicated the chronic housing shortages so many families salvaged their homes from other towns and rebuilt them in Mercoal. The loss of the railway market as engines were switched to diesel eventually caught up with Mercoal and the mine closed in 1959. Today, Mercoal survives to support the numerous resource based industries in the region. |