Coleman Historic Site
Google Map

Abandoned mine structures are centrepiece of Coleman National Historic Site.

How Green is my Valley Set amid balding hills reminiscent of South Wales, the former town of Coleman was, until the early 1960s, a polyglot community of mining families attracted from the coalfields of Europe. When demand for locomotive coal died in 1960, the underground mine and its surrounding town simply slowed to a stop. Downtown Coleman is popular among period movie makers because it remains much as it was in the mid-twentieth century. An Art Deco service station and a theatre actually called the Roxy are among the derelicts. The livliest spot in town is Chris' Restaurant where retired miners, visiting anglers, and day-tripping bikers converge for real burgers and fresh-cut fries. The surrounding landscape still shows the scars of mining, but the old waste piles of rock and low-grade coal are now topped by soil and grasses to contain the dust that once blackened the landscape. Located in the former high school, the Crowsnest Museum conducts 30-minute walking tours of the historic district. Coleman downtown historic district is a living reminder of mining days. Web Links Coleman Historic District Self-Guided Tour (pdf) Crowsnest Museum

 

Alberta SouthWest
(PDF download)