The Cobalt Mining Museum lives in a rather non-descript brick commercial building in downtown Cobalt, Ontario. Tucked between a government services office and an LCBO, one would be forgiven for not paying it the slightest attention. If you’ve seen one small, forgotten town’s museum, you’ve seen them all. That would be a mistake, because Cobalt … Read more
On the eastern coast of Cape Breton lies the town of Glace Bay. Rich in coal mining history, Glace Bay was formed in 1901 by the amalgamation of multiple small communities situated around the various mines. At its peak, there were twelve collieries. Today, there are none with the last closing in 2001. The Cape … Read more
Bell Island is the largest island in Conception Bay and lies off the coast to the west of St. John’s, Newfoundland. That may seem unremarkable, but from 1895 to 1966 this tiny island was a major, global iron ore mining hotspot. So imporant was it, that Nazi Germany attacked it twice during the second world … Read more
The Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia is renowned for its rich, and sometimes tragic, coal mining history. When approaching from Alberta along Highway 3, you’ll first encounter the ruins of Leitch Collieries. Leitch Collieries is a Provincial Historic Site preserving the remains of Leitch Collieries Coal and Coke Company which operated … Read more
Kirkland Lake in northeastern Ontario, Canadad has a rich gold mining history. Founded in 1911 as a mining camp, its notoriety is particular tied to the famed Mile of Gold on which 7 major gold mines resided. Toburn Gold Mine was the first of those, then known as the Tough-Oakes Gold Mine, and still remains … Read more
British Columbia’s west coast is renowned for it’s natural beauty. The Sea to Sky Highway (#99) offers many opportunities to see Mother Nature’s handywork as it winds its way along the east side of Howe Sound from Vancouver to Squamish and then Whistler. Along the way, you’ll encounter an imposing white building built into the … Read more
The Crowsnest Pass region of Alberta and British Columbia has a long, and sometimes tragic, coal mining history. The coal mining continues to this day but you can get a glimpse into its past at the Bellevue Underground Mine. The town of Bellevue lies on the northeast side of Crowsnest Highway just 2.5 km southeast … Read more
Before the Drumheller region became famous for its dinosaurs, it was known for its coal mines. There have been 139 throughout the valley’s history and Atlas Coal Mine is the last one standing. The Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site preserves the underground and surface workings from Atlas No. 3 and 4 which was active … Read more