Beaver Mines is a hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 in southern Alberta

Southern Alberta

Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 within the Municipal District (M.D.) of Pincher Creek No. 9

Pincher Creek No. 9, Alberta

The Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9 is a municipal district in south western Alberta, Canada.It is located in Census Division 3. It was established in the current boundaries in 1944, when the name was changed from Municipal District of Crowsnest No. 39 to Municipal District of Pincher...

. It is located in the foothills

Rocky Mountain Foothills

The Rocky Mountain Foothills are an upland area flanking the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, extending south from the Liard River into Alberta. Bordering the Interior Plains system, they are part of the Rocky Mountain System or Eastern System of the Western Cordillera of North America....

 of the Canadian Rockies

Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...

 on Highway 507, approximately 19 km (11.8 mi) west of Pincher Creek

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Pincher Creek is a town in the southwest of Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies in the centre of ranching country, north of Waterton Lakes National Park.The town's mayor is Ernie Olsen.- History :...

.

History

The community was formed with the opening of a coal mine in the early 1900s. At one time Beaver Mines had over 1,500 residents. Because of the requirement for steel (rail tracks) during the wars and the reduction in the need for coal, the coal mines eventually closed and the community residents moved away. The last mine shut down its operations in 1971 and currently the mine site and many of the building foundations are on private land. For the past 30 years Beaver Mines has been considered a ghost town and has had numerous write-ups in ghost town books.

Contemporary issues

Currently, due largely to the expansion of Castle Mountain Resort

Castle Mountain Resort

Castle Mountain is a ski resort located in the Westcastle Valley of southwest Alberta, Canada in the Rocky Mountains. It is approximately from Calgary and the Calgary International Airport; from Lethbridge; and west of Pincher Creek...

 and the growth of Calgary to the north, the hamlet has begun to grow again as a popular recreational destination.

External links

• Castle Wilderness