Anthracite Mine Bankhead Mine Georgetown Mine

In 1904, Mine No. 8 opened at the base of Cascade Mountain, 4 kilometers from Banff. The town of Bankhead formed around the mine.

Bankhead was a CPR town to the core. It was named by Lord Strathcona after Bankhead, Banffshire, Scotland and was planned for 1500 people. The town had all the amenities and had electricity before Banff or Canmore. It was a popular tourist destination and visitors coming by train would often disembark at the Bankhead station and take a wagon to Banff.

However, the Bankhead mine did not last. On June 15, 1922, the mine closed, leaving its 900 residents to find homes. The postwar depression combined with a strike and political pressure to stop industry in the national park forced the CPR to close the town.