Where Gumbo was #490
Gumbo was visiting the interesting and well-preserved Atlas Coal Mine in Alberta’s Badlands, 20 miles south of Drumheller near the town of East Coulee. Congratulations to George G, the only one who recognized where Gumbo was.
Coal, while it has become unpopular, exists in abundance in Alberta and dozens of mines extracted it in the 20th century. It was an inexpensive and important source of fuel for homes, electrical generators, and the trains crossing the country. In time it was replaced by cleaner fuels and the coal mines closed. The Atlas Coal Mine operated between 1936 and 1979, being the last of 139 coal mines in the Drumheller area to shut down.
Many of the original buildings at the Atlas Mine are in a good state of preservation, and the old trucks and mining artifacts add a sense of realism to your visit. The Atlas Coal Mine is home to Canada’s last standing wooden coal tipple, built in 1937. The tipple is a huge seven-story tall structure used to sort and load coal. The site was designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource in 1989 and a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002. It’s Canada’s most complete historic coal mining site.
(The coal tipple at the Atlas Mine)
I visited the Atlas site in the summer of 2020. This was at the height of CoVid hysteria when most places were slowly and cautiously reopening to tourism. Tickets were limited and all of the guided tours (including the popular underground, train and tipple tours) were canceled. Masking, distancing, etc, were all mandatory.
Despite the limitations placed on visitation, I spent many hours wandering the site taking far too many photos. I was able to explore the property and make stops at most of the original historic surface plant buildings. There are a number of informative signs along the walk around the mine site, especially the important structures. These places included the mine office….
The supply house where commonly used items were kept (e.g. for repairs)
The wash house, where miners cleaned up after a dusty shift…..
And if nature called, an outhouse……
Rail connections were vital for the shipping of coal to markets and every effort was made to keep the rails leading to the mine in tip-top shape.
An old trestle bridge is visible from the site….
There are lots of well-used old trucks on the property, greatly adding to the ambience……
An assortment of old mining equipment, like these coal cars and other mining gear are plentiful.
I think it would be very interesting to do a tour of the tipple and into the mine itself, but these options were not available when I visited. Still, the site was well worth visiting and exploring. Very recommended.
