Chris and Connie and I were able to get access to one of the many old coal mine sites in the Drumheller Valley. There were a total of 139 mines in the Drumheller area back in the day. Many of them were very small operations, but there were also some very large ones. This one was of considerable size and is on private property. We met the owners of the land and explained that we were photographers and historians interested in the history of coal mining. At first they were reluctant to permit access, as there are a number of collapsed mine shafts on the property. But eventually they agreed and gave us a tour of the site. The site is all fenced off and has security cameras as there have been issues with trespassers, and concerns about safety.
The owners are really nice people and were very accommodating. Unfortunately there is almost nothing left of the original mining equipment. Just a few buildings and some scattered pieces of old junk. The structures are currently used mostly for storage by the owners. There was one small building, mostly full of old junk, that was once the blacksmith shop.
There was also an old dragline on the property. I don't believe that it was involved in the original mining operation, and was used later to clean up the site. Despite that, it is quite old, and very interesting photographically.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the temperature got up into the high teens. It was very pleasant to spend a few hours there, and we were very grateful for the hospitality of the owners. They normally don't allow anyone onto the site and made an exception for us due to our credentials.
No comments:
Post a Comment