Nanaimo, BC and the Badlands of Alberta share a common history
of Coal mining.
A Legacy Cache sponsored by bcrockcrawler
Coal was first discovered in the Badlands by Joseph Tyrrell in
1884. Over the period of time that mining took place here, there
were more than 130 registered coal mines in Drumheller Valley. The
first commercial mine, The Newcastle mine, officially opened in
1911. The last operating mine in the Valley, Atlas Coal Mine (#4),
stopped mining in 1979 and officially closed in 1984. Although,
over 170 men were killed in Drumheller valley mining accidents
between 1911 and 1965, there was only one mining disaster. The
Monarch explosion of 1941. Three men were killed when methane gas
exploded in the developing mine. A fourth man, the mine manager at
the Atlas, was killed in the rescue attempt. The Monarch Mine was
located immediately southeast of the Atlas. To be considered as a
mine “disaster,” four or men must be killed in one
event. Nanaimo's coal history started with the first commercial
mine on Vancouver Island. It opened in 1853. The Nanaimo mine
explosion on May 3, 1887, at the Number One Coal Mine, killed 150
miners and was the largest man-made explosion in the world until
the Halifax Explosion. Only seven miners survived and the mine
burned for one full day. Coal remained a major employer until the
late 1930's. Forestry started to play an important part in the
economy of Vancouver Island and would become the main economic
engine by the early 1940's. Coal mining in Nanaimo would continue
until 1967. A small mine, the Wolf Mountain Colliery, operated for
short periods of time over 4 years in the mid 1980's.
This cache is part of the Legacy Trail produced by the Canadian
Badlands Geocaching Association for the Best of the Bad Mega
Event.
The Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a collection of geocaches that circles its
way over 100 miles on country roads traversing some of the most
scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian
Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and
difficulty are placed on the Trail. Every town, village and hamlet
in the Canadian Badlands has its own cache. Some caches were named
after local historic events and people, as well as celebrities who
grew up in this area. Some caches were sponsored by geocachers who
attended the Best of the Bad Mega Event. The Legacy Trail was
produced by the Canadian Badlands Geocaching Association for the
Best of the Bad Mega Event.
The Canadian Badlands
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta are like no other place on
earth, home to the world's most extensive dinosaur bonebeds,
badlands and hoodoos, and a world-class museum that shelters a 75
million-year-old legacy. The region is rich in culturally and
historically significant sites that tell the story of the First
Nations people and early settlers, and of a complex and diverse
modern society that is still deeply rooted in the spirit of the
frontier.
