|
The Mountain Park Mine |
| Mountain Park was the first coal mine on the
western arm of the Coal Branch. Local prospector John Gregg had
identified the coal deposits in 1909 with his native wife, Mary Cardinal
Gregg. In 1910, Gregg and Robert Wesley Jones, an engineer with the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, staked claims to the deposits and sought
buyers. In 1911 the Mountain Park Coal Company Limited was created and
developments of the mine and town began. The Company built 50 Km of
railway line to reach the branch line at Coalspur.
Throughout the mining period, Mountain Park was the highest populated place in Canada with an elevation of 6200 feet. The beauty of its surroundings forged a special bond for residents of the town. For most of its History, the mine provided good job security to its workers and the town population reached 1000 people. Early financial difficulties experienced by the mine were principally related to maintenance of the privately built railway. Mountain Park was the first mine to fall to the coal depression following WW2. After nearly 40 years, the underground operations were closed in 1949 and the short lived surface mining operations ceased in June 1950. Town buildings were salvaged and within five years only traces of the town could be seen. The town cemetery, however, still remains and is maintained by former residents to this day. |