Coleman Journal, March 15, 1922:
Grading to the new coal mine, a short distance south east of
Crowsnest, is practically completed and just as soon as the
weather conditions are suitable the steel will be laid and
things will hum. The coal is said to be exceptionally good for
steam purposes and can be easily mined. The company which owns
the property and which will develop same is known as Spokane and
Alberta Coal and Coke Co. of which Mr. Ashburner is
Superintendent and Mr. Armstrong of Spokane is General Manager.
Coleman Journal, December 28, 1922:
"Something to crow about at Crowsnest"
In the new coal mining company Crowsnest has something worth
crowing about. The Spokane and Alberta Coal and Coke Co. are
spending considerable money in developing their property
southeast of Crowsnest. It is understood that soon a large
number of miners will be engaged on the property and that coal
will be shipped out in large quantities before the winter is
over.
A spur line of about five miles is being built from the coal
property to connect with the Crow main line of the C.P.R. The
construction is being done by Grant Smith and McDonnell Co. of
Calgary.
The huge undertaking is being financed mainly by Spokane
capitalists. L. K. Armstrong is general manager and the
company's headquarters for the present are at Spokane but later
they will likely be moved to Crowsnest.
The opening up of this property will revolutionize the
industrial and commercial life of Crowsnest and will also prove
a great boon to Coleman and other nearby towns.
Coleman Journal, February 22, 1923:
On Tuesday Harry Boulton visited the new coal mine near
Crowsnest Lake. Harry reports that the grade for the spur-line
to the mine is practically completed, there being only about 25
feet of rock to blast. At present there are over 100 men working
on the property and there are good prospects for extensive
development work being done this spring.
Editor's Note:
Although the rail grade was completed and some ties laid, the
rails were never put down. The demand for coal had lessened and
the project was abandoned. Later Coleman Collieries acquired the
property and opened it as an open pit mine called Tent Mountain
Mine. For many years now (1978) it has been one of the main
sources of export coal to Japan by Coleman Collieries. The
original railroad grade is used as a truck-haul road connecting
Tent Mountain Mine with Crowsnest 3 and on to the processing
plant in Coleman.
This article is extracted from Crowsnest and its People:
Millennium Edition (Coleman, Alberta, Crowsnest Pass Historical
Society, 2000). The Heritage Community Foundation and
the Year of the Coal Miner Consortium would like to thank the
authors and the Crowsnest Pass Historical Society for permission
to reprint this material.
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