Bankhead (Alberta)
Bankhead, Alberta was a small coal mining town in Banff National Park near the town of Banff in the early 20th century . The mine was on Cascade Mountain, which has high deposits of anthracite coal . It was operated by the Pacific Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , which needed the coal to power the steam engines. Operations began in 1903.
history
A report published in a local newspaper on June 17, 1922 states that announcements of the closure of Bankhead mines have recently been posted across town. In the announcements it was announced that from July 15 the coal mining would be stopped and the employees would no longer be needed from then on. The report ended up saying that after that date, Bankhead would be a dead city for coal mines. The report also stated that no reasons were given for the closure, although it was widely known that the mines were not profitable. There was a strike two months before the announcement and the mines have been closed since then. Another report of the mine closure stated that between 200 and 300 men were extracting between 500 and 600 tons of coal a day. The city had about 1,000 inhabitants.
All of the buildings in Bankhead were constructed by the mining company and rented out to residents. In 1926, many of the city's buildings were relocated to Banff and Canmore . The Bankhead Railroad Station is now on the Banff Youth Hostel property on Tunnel Mountain Road. There is a card from Bankhead there.
Today there is a path through Lower Bankhead. Signs along the way explain the larger buildings and interesting facts. Many of the foundations are still visible. Bankhead is located on Lake Minnewanka Road a few minutes' drive from Banff.
There was another coal mine in Anthracite near Bankhead. However, this was closed and abandoned in 1904 due to water ingress.
Picture gallery
Boiler house
Coal train
power plant
The briquette building
locomotive
literature
- Gadd, Benn: Bankhead, The Twenty Year Town . The Coal Association of Canada, 1989.
Web links
- Ghost towns. Bankhead - Alberta, Canada Ghost Town
- Bankhead Mines, 1904. Glenbow Museum Archives
- Bankhead, city view, 1890s. Glenbow Museum Archives
- Bankhead man wins Distinguished Conduct Medal at Gallipoli. Crag & Canyon / November 6, 1915
- Lt. Horace Lyster of Bankhead wins Military Medal. Crag & Canyon / April 8, 1915
Individual evidence
- ↑ Crag & Canyon 17 June 1922 / Bankhead mines Closing ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Crag & Canyon 24 June 1922 / Mine Closed Permanently ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 51 ° 13 ′ 55.3 " N , 115 ° 31 ′ 25" W.