Bankhead, Alberta was a small coal mining

Coal mining

The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

 town that existed in the early twentieth century, in Banff National Park

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...

, near the town of Banff, Alberta

Banff, Alberta

Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....

. The mine was located at Cascade Mountain

Cascade Mountain (Alberta)

Cascade Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park, adjacent to the town of Banff. The mountain was named in 1858 by James Hector after the waterfall or cascade on the southern flanks of the peak. The mountain has also been called Stoney Chief, which is related...

, which contains high grade anthracite coal deposits. The Bankhead coal mine was operated by the Pacific Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

, which needed the coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 to fuel its steam engine

Steam engine

A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...

s. The mine began operations in 1903.

A local newspaper report published 17 June 1922 indicated that notices of the closure of the Bankhead Mines had recently been posted through that town. The notices made it clear that on and after 15 July the staff of Bankhead Mines would not be required and the coal operations would cease. The report concluded: "This would indicate that after the above date Bankhead will be a dead town so far as coal mining is concerned." This report concluded that no reasons were given for the closure, although it was generally understood that mining there had not been profitable. There had been a strike at the mine two months before this announcement, and the mines had been closed since that time. Another report on the mine closure

Mine closure

Mine closure is the period of time when the ore-extracting activities of a mine have ceased, and final decommissioning and mine reclamation are being completed. It is generally associated with reduced employment levels, which can have a significant negative impact on local economies...

 noted that around 200 to 300 men were employed there with the output of coal running between 500 to 600 tons per day. The town population was around 1,000 people.

All of Bankhead's buildings were built and owned by the company and rented to the residents. In 1926, many of the town's buildings were moved to Banff and Canmore

Canmore, Alberta

Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...

. The Bankhead Railway Station now sits on the grounds of the Banff Hostel on Tunnel Mountain Road. It has a map of the Bankhead townsite posted outside its front door.

Today, an interpretive trail runs through Lower Bankhead. Signs are placed along the trail identifying the major buildings, as well as other interesting facts. Many foundations of buildings are visible. One building remains intact and contains displays viewed through the windows. Remains of the town are also visible adjacent to the Upper Bankhead parking lot.

Bankhead is located on the Lake Minnewanka

Lake Minnewanka

Lake Minnewanka is a glacial lake located in the eastern area of Banff National Park in Canada, about five kilometres northeast of the Banff townsite...

 road, just a few minutes drive from the Banff townsite or the Trans Canada Highway.

Near Bankhead was another coal mine, Anthracite

Anthracite, Alberta

Anthracite is a ghost town located within Banff National Park in southern Alberta, Canada. It is named after the anthracite variety of coal.- History :...

. This mine was a failure because of heavy water inflow in the underground. The Anthracite mine shut down in 1904 and was abandoned.

External links

• Ghost towns. Bankhead - Alberta, Canada Ghost Town
• Bankhead Mines, 1904. Glenbow Museum Archives
• Bankhead, city view, 1890s. Glenbow Museum Archives
• Bankhead man wins Distinguished Conduct Medal at Gallipoli. Crag & Canyon / 06 November 1915
• Lt. Horace Lyster of Bankhead wins Military Medal. Crag & Canyon / 08 April 1915