Bankhead
From 1904 to
1922, Bankhead was a thriving community, supplying coal for the Canadian Pacific
Railway and work for 300 underground coal mine workers. Parks Canada officials
in the national park have developed varied interpretive services at the
site.
Visit the
historic site of the early 1900s coal mine, colliery and town. Take a walk on
the easy 45-minute path that leads through the ruins of the mine site. On the
walk, stop to read the interpretive plaques placed beside some of the
foundations. The plaques have photographs and descriptions of the buildings that
once stood there and the operations of the mine, which all commemorate the old
community.
Visitors can
walk along well-groomed trails at both Upper Bankhead, which was once a
residential area, and the coal mine site at Lower Bankhead to view the ruins and
other scattered remains of the town. At Lower Bankhead there is a scenic and
interesting 1.1-kilometre interpretive loop trail. (Closed in winter.) The site is a
fascinating educational and historical exhibit. The Bankhead interpretive site
includes the area's geology, the mining operation and community life.
Bankhead is
located 8 kilometres from Banff on Lake Minnewanka Loop Drive, located on Lake
Minnewanka Road, 7.4 kilometres from the Banff Town site.
Contact:
Historic Sites Manager
Banff National Park
Box 900, Banff, Alberta T0L 0C0
Phone: (403) 7621557, (403) 7621566
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