Page 1 |
2 | 3 | 4 |
5
[Cliquez ici pour le texte en français]
[<< Previous]
Domestic and Steam Coalfields
As the Alberta economy expanded,
development took place in a series of coalfields associated with
both the mountains and plains sectors of the industry. These
sectors became more fully distinctthe bituminous coal of the
former serving mainly the steam coal market, while the lesser
quality product of the plains answered primarily the needs of
domestic customers. In almost every case, the fields emerging
were established prior to World War One, but had their major
impact afterwards. The most important of them were the
Coal
Branch and the
Drumheller Valley, both played
important roles in the industry until the 1950s.
The impetus to investment in the
mountains was the government-sponsored decision to build two new
transcontinental railwaysthe Grand Trunk Pacific and the
Canadian Northern. Begun before World War One, both lines used
the northern route through the Yellowhead Pass, a fact that
shifted mining activity north into the bituminous fields along
the Rocky Mountain slope west of Edmonton. Development occurred
in the Jasper area near the Pass, in the Coal Branch a short
distance to the southeast, and further south at
Nordegg. The
activity around Jasper was relatively short-lived. Mining began
at Pocahontas, inside Jasper National Park, in 1911, but was
halted because of poor coal, transportation problems, and other
reasons, in 1921. The largest producer in the Jasper area was
the Blue Diamond mine at Brule, just east of the park boundary.
This operation continued until 1928, but never produced great
amounts of coal, compared to the larger enterprises emerging to
the south.1
The Coal Branch was by far the most important producing field
serving the northern transcontinentals. The field was
located in an area south of the main rail lines in, and
immediately east, of the Nikanassan Front Range of the Rocky
Mountains. A series of companies invested here, beginning in
1909. The key to development was the construction of a branch
line from the Grand Trunk Pacific in 1911, which gave the area
its name. The line ran from Edson south to Coalspur, where coal
production began in 1912, and from there further south along an
eastern arm to Lovett, and along a western section terminating
in Mountain Park, where mining also began in 1912.2
By the early 1920s, mining was underway at Cadomin, Sterco,
Robb, Mercoal, Luscar, and Coal Valley.
The Coal Branch became a
significant producer of coal, second to the Crowsnest Pass among
mountain fields. Peak production was reached in 1929
when approximately 1.5 million tons were mined, about 22 percent
of the total in the province of Alberta. The field actually served a mixed market.
The mines on the western armat Cadomin, Luscar, and Mountain
Parkproduced good quality steam coal for the railways. These
operations accounted for more coal than all the other Coal
Branch mines combined. The mines on the eastern arm produced
lower quality coal, selling much of their product to home fuel
consumers and, starting in the 1920s, to thermal power plants in
Saskatchewan.3
The last centre to be developed
to supply the new transcontinentals was Nordegg, located about
70 kilometres south of the Coal Branch. The figure of
Martin Nordegg was central here. A German investor searching for
opportunities, he became interested in the local coal reserves and, eventually,
forged an alliance with the Canadian Northern Railway, which was
in need of a reliable source of fuel in the foothills region.
The two parties formed Brazeau Collieries in 1909 and agreed to
share the costs of establishing a colliery and laying tracks to
link the coal source to the main line of the Canadian Northern.
The first coal went to market in 1914 when the rail link was
finally completed. Nordegg became a significant producer, its
output reaching almost one-half million tons in the peak year
of 1923. The colliery continued to serve mainly the railway
market until its closure in 1955.4
After 1900, the plains coal industry also started to expand.
This sector was largely pioneered in
Lethbridge. While coal
production there had originally served the steam market,
relatively poor quality coal left Lethbridge vulnerable to
competition and it was quickly pushed out of the railway trade
after 1898, when higher quality
Crowsnest Pass coal became
available. Galt and other Lethbridge-area producers became
mainly dependent on the demand for home heating fuel. By the eve
of World War One, demand was increasing from the burgeoning
towns and cities of Alberta, and other domestic coalfields began
to develop. The plains branch of the industry was of substantial
importance thereafter, never matching the steam coal sector in
production, but consistently employing more workers after 1920.5
A structure of capital
organization emerged in the plains coalfields which was quite
distinct from that in the mountain coal centresand also unlike
that of the large Galt operations at Lethbridge. The typical
plains mine had lower production costs than mountain operations, resulting from the fact that
prairie seams tended to be comparatively flat and located near
the surface. The situation encouraged the greater use of
mechanized methods underground, reducing labour expenses. Taking
advantage of these conditions, the typical plains company was
much smaller than its mountain counterpart, and was controlled
by Alberta-based entrepreneurs rather than outside investors
from the United States, Europe, or eastern Canada. The number
of operations was much larger than in the mountains and
foothills regions. While small operations dotted the prairies,
the largest concentrations of investment, besides that at
Lethbridge, were in the Edmonton and
Drumheller Valley areas.6
Edmonton was one of the earliest
areas where coal was utilized. Commercial coal mining emerged
there by the late 1870s. By the early 1900s, production was centred on the area's east side, where chemical and petroleum
refining was later located. Mines were also opened north of the
city, and further east and west. Most of the coal was low-grade
bituminous and lignite, used mainly for domestic purposes, and
in milling and other local industries. Production peaked in the
early 1920s, at a rate of slightly more than half a million tons
per year, much below the expanding output of the Drumheller
Valley. Competition was felt from coal mined in the
Coal Branch, and from the introduction of natural gas from
Wainwright after 1923.7
Edmonton's mines began to
decline rapidly after the city restricted their activities in
order to minimize damage to the urban environment. By 1923,
mining under city streets had led to pavement breaks, ruptured
water mains, and injury to private property. The city fought
back with law suits, and in 1931, when the province took over
control of natural resources from the federal government,
Alberta passed legislation prohibiting mining in towns or
cities, in areas underlying or adjacent to any street or public
place. These provisions eventually contributed to the complete
demise of the industry after World War Two.8
Development in the Drumheller
Valley was relatively late. The coal seams here were highly
visible in the steep cliffs overlooking the Red Deer River.
After 1900, homesteaders began to flock into the valley, but
coal mining did not begin until after the arrival of the
railway. The coming of the Canadian Northern set off an
explosion of activity, beginning with the first commercial mine
in 1911 at Newcastle, in the west end of present-day Drumheller. The Drumheller field eventually became the leading
producer of domestic coal. By 1925, it was yielding 1.1 million
tons of coal per year, a rate of production that it maintained
until the 1950s. Taking advantage of cheap costs and
employing aggressive marketing techniques, the coal industry
here supplied much of eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan
and spawned a series of local communities directly dependent on
it for their survival, including
Midland,
Newcastle, Nacmine,
Rosedale, Wayne, Lehigh, and
East Coulee. These strongly-worker
oriented communities contrasted with the town of Drumheller, an
administrative and commercial centre where most of the valley's
mining entrepreneurs lived.9
By the First World War, the
market for coal coming from Alberta and southeastern British
Columbia had assumed most of the characteristics it would retain
until the 1950s. Coal from the region served customers in the
geographical area of the Canadian prairies and eastern British
Columbia. Steam coal was sold to the railways from Winnipeg in
the east to Kamloops in the west. Domestic coal supplied the
emerging thermal power plants in Alberta and the home heating
needs of that province, much of Saskatchewan, and the western
part of Manitoba. In the latter two provinces, this coal was in
competition with Saskatchewan lignite, which was cheaper but
also of lower quality.10
Further
geographical expansion of the market was blocked. On the west
coast, Vancouver Island coal held sway. The production of
Alberta and southeastern British Columbia could not displace
American coal in the American Pacific Northwest, with the
exception of certain border areas adjacent to the Crowsnest
Pass. Alberta coal was not sold in central Canada, the largest
Canadian market, where consumers preferred anthracite from
Pennsylvania because of its higher quality and lower
transportation costs.11
William N.T. Wylie, "Coal-Mining Landscapes: Commemorating
Coal Mining in Alberta and Southeastern British Columbia," a
report prepared for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of
Canada, Parks Canada Agency, 2001.
See Also: The Coal
IndustryOverview, Rapid Expansion, Domestic and Steam Coalfields,
1914-1947: The Struggling Industry,
Collapse and Rebirth,
Settlement of the West,
Issues and ChallengesOverview,
Entrepreneurship, Technology,
Underground Techniques,
Surface Technology,
Surface Mining,
Social Impacts,
Unions,
1882-1913: Unionization and Early Gains,
1914-1920: Revolutionary Movement,
1921-1950s: Labour Unrest and
Setbacks, Mining Companies, People of
the Coal Mines,
The Middle Class,
Miners and Local
Government,
Politics and Economics ,
Environmental Impacts,
Health and SafetyOverview,
The State and
Labour Relations,
The State and
Development after 1918.
[Next >>]
|