Canmore nestles in the Bow Valley corridor of Alberta, east of the entrance of Canada’s jewel, Banff National Park. Established in 1883 as a railway depot, the town sprang to life in 1887 when coal mining began. For over ninety years, coal and Canmore mines were synonymous.
Today the trendy shops, restaurants and art galleries lining main street, reveal little evidence of the coal mine industry. The community thrives on a vision of environmental sensitivity and economic sustainability.
Not necessarily an easy balance in one of the most beautiful towns in Canada.
Geology of Canmore Coal
Coal in the mountains around Canmore originated from swampy sediments being laid down in a shallow basin some 140 million years ago. The area at that time was sinking due to tectonic pressures from the west.
This sinking allowed the millions of years of sediments to compact under subsequent deposition. The continuous sinking compressed the vegetation laden layers over a 65 to 70 million years, transformed them into seams of coal.
Subsequent faulting and thrusting of the rock layers began in this region some 75 million years ago exposed many layers of rock, which incorporated coal seams. The Rundle thrust fault lifted the coal seams near surface in the Canmore area over a mere eight million years. Subsequent erosion of these rock layers resulted in exposure of the coal seams near Canmore.
History of Canmore Mines
Canmore was established in 1883 as a railroad depot during the push for a trans-Canada rail line which was completed in 1886. Canmore was officially named in 1884 by the director of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The name originates from the Gaelic name Ceann MΓ³r, meaning “great head” or “chief”.
Coal was quickly discovered and a coal mining charter was given in 1886. The first coal mine near Canmore was opened in 1887 with the hope to sell coal to the new CPR rail system. The coal business initially struggled due to competing coal mines just west of Canmore in the towns of Anthracite and Bankhead.
However, the quality of the coal around Canmore resulted in a rapid expansion of coal mining. The town began to boom.
In 1899, the Canadian Pacific Railway moved their divisional headquarters from Canmore to Lake Louise. This resulted in Canmore becoming a true coal mining town.
Over the next several decades, Canmore, still synonymous with coal, had its share of good times and bad. Through two world wars the demand for coal rose and fell.
In 1966, incorporating from a village to a town of almost 1,400 residents, Canmore coal mining remained the primary industry.
Canmore becomes a weekend getaway from Calgary
As a young boy, I recall travelling from Calgary to the Canadian Rockies in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Visiting Banff, Lake Louise and the ski hills in the area (Norquay, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise) became a common weekend excursion.
Stopping in the Canmore area was for a gas fill-up or a snack at the line of gas stations beside the highway. Due to the tall trees, one could not see the actual townsite from the highway.
That changed when my parents bought a small house in the Canmore townsite from a retired coal miner in 1976. This was their weekend place to escape the hustle and bustle of Calgary. In other words, my parent’s purchase was a foreshadow of things to come.
As the demand for coal lessened, the last coal mine near Canmore closed on July 13, 1979. The population at this time was just over 3,000 residents.
With the growing affluence in Calgary and the heavy restrictions of home ownership in Banff National Park, Canmore began transforming from coal mining town into a tourist town.
Tourism and the growth of Canmore
The seismic change in Canmore’s image occurred during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Chosen as the location for all the Nordic ski events for these Olympics, the little mountain town shone in the spotlight . The images of stunning mountain views and friendly atmosphere beamed around the world.
In the following 10 years, Canmore’s population grew from 5,000 to 10,000. Today the population is around 15,000 permanent residents. There are an additional 5,000 ‘weekenders’ (as my parents initiated back in 1976). There are even proposals to almost double the current population of Canmore.
Ironically, a portion of the newest development in Canmore is on top of or very near abandoned coal mines. This has caused issues such as land subsidence and localized sinkholes. Current proposals for development are also partially located above abandoned coal mines which is causing significant controversy.
Where is the best place to see the abandoned Canmore mines?
For safety and reclamation purposes, little evidence remains of the origins of this mining town turned world wide tourist destination. The Canmore Museum is the best location to learn more about the coal mining history of the area.
Although currently unavailable due to COVID-19, the museum has a virtual reality experience, exploring the depth of the Canmore mines.
The museum web page provides this map, where historic sites throughout the town are identified. Note the two pinpoints near the Three Sisters Parkway. Here a scattering evidence of the mines remains.
Above all, please use caution if exploring and be aware wildlife including bears can be present in the area.
Other articles on Canmore
Grassi Lakes Canmore – Hiking to the Jewels
Caving in Canmore – Adventure Goes Underground
Thank you for this wonderful tour, such a beautiful place. I can see why everyone loves this town. ππ¨π¦
You’re very welcome John. Canmore truly is a nice escape from the big city!
Thank you so much Dave for this fascinating post. Do your parents still have their holiday property in this area? Beautiful photos π
You’re very welcome Gilda. When my parents retired they sold their home in Calgary and the small miner’s house. They then bought a beautiful log house a few blocks away. After my father passed away several years ago my Mom decided to move into a senior’s condo complex in Canmore. She loves it there!
Thanks for taking me along. You know I love history and what could be better than an old coal mine?!!
You’re very welcome GP. I too am fascinated by history, in tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions of years! Sort of combined the hundreds with the millions π
Great article Dave! NIce to learn a bit more of my (somewhat near) back yard
Thanks Roger,
I agree that its always nice to learn more about what is near and around us.
Thanks for the interesting post Dave. We spend a night in Canmore on our way south from Jasper one year and had no idea of its history. I do recall the town, and we still have cloth shopping bag for food we bought there because they had neither “paper nor plastic” before we switched to cloth in Florida. Earlier this week, we stopped in a West Virginia coal mining town which was better than it used to be during coal’s hay day, but nowhere as nice as Canmore.
You’re very welcome Ray. Great that you had the chance to visit the area. I imagine there are plenty of towns in the West Virginia area that started as coal mining towns. Good to hear they can carry on and improve post-coal. I may be bias, but it would be hard to beat the scenic setting of the old coal mining town of Canmore. π
Fascinating! Iβve been to Canmore a handful of times while visiting Banff but I didnβt know itβs history. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Diana. Tough to guess Canmore used to be a coal mining town when you see it in modern times.
Love this thanks π
You’re very welcome!
Been to Canmore often . We have living near there.. thanks for sharing π
Lucky you to live nearby and are able to visit often!
It would have been wonderful for you as a child to visit here. Your parents were very clever to buy a home where they could get away, in a time before it was fashionable.
I agree my parents were clever. Not sure if I realized that as a teenager π
Hi Dave and Sue, We stayed in Canmore a few years ago in July. (after a marathon in Calgary)I have seen photos of Canmore in the Winter. Exceptionally beautiful! Interesting information about Geology of Canmore Coal. And, yes, the spotlight of the 1988 Olympics. We did not visit the museum when we were there. I will make it a must see for next time. Thank you for sharing a fascinating post. Great photos!
Thanks so much Erica,
Ahhh, summer in Canmore is definitely beautiful, as is fall, winter and spring π
I’m also due to revisit the museum as it may have new information from the last time I was there.
Three thoughts, Dave. What a beautiful area. I can see why your parents bought a summer home there! Two, interesting history. Such a world of difference between a coal mining town and a tourist town. Three. I am glad to see it thriving, but am not surprised to see the pressure to build on areas where people shouldn’t be building. It’s an old story where the desire to make money outweighs safety concerns. Excellent post. βCurt
Thanks for your comments Curtis! Yes, it’s amazing to see the transformation of Canmore from a smallish coal town to a thriving large tourist town.
I’m no expert in the current proposals for major expansion, but seeing where the coal mine tunnels are (on maps), how they mined the coal (very efficiently), and where the proposed development is located – I kind of scratch my head. The land was originally slated to be a golf course a few years back but the developers at the time went bankrupt. Even back then it seemed to be stated that no permanent structures should go on the land due to undermining. Now they may have new and improved mitigation techniques, but they did remove a lot of coal!
A great history of Canmore. Such a lovely town. We used to stay over for a night when we lived in Calgary as it was a nice getaway and a quick drive into Banff. There was always the stop at the ice cream place in Cochrane on the way too.
Thanks Darlene. It truly is a wonderful town. You hit all the great spots! Banff, Canmore & McKay’s Ice Cream in Cochrane! Well planned
This looks like a gorgeous place. I can see why the olympics increased the population! I bet you enjoyed your weekends there. Do your parents still own the cottage. They were ahead of their time!
Canmore is definitely a gorgeous place. My parents sold the coal miner’s house when they retired in the early 80’s. They also sold their Calgary home and bought a beautiful two story log house in the Canmore townsite. Where the original weekend home was now sits two large modern infill homes.
What a fascinating post. We stayed in Canmore for a couple of weeks and loved the town and the whole area, such a beautiful place to live. Had no idea it was ever a coal mining town. There doesn’t seem to be anything that reminds you of that. Great photos too.
Thanks so much Jonno. So great you were able to spend so much time exploring the area! Yes, its hard to find evidence of past coal mining activity other than the remnants described in this post and the museum. Although the pub connected to my Mom’s seniors condo complex is call the ‘Mine Shaft’ and has a huge mural on the wall of some miners at work.
Great tour, Dave! Stunning scenery and sounds like such a huge transformation from a mining town.
Thanks Kirt!
Definitely a huge change over the decades! Understandable though, being right outside the gates of the famous Banff National Park and only a one hour drive from Calgary which has also grown tremendously over the last few decades. During the 1988 Winter Olympics, Calgary’s population was about 700,000. Today it sits at 1.5 million.
What a great place to visit. As we can’t travel too much at the moment, I feel better for having visited through your post. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much Debbie. Canmore truly is a great place to visit! Glad the post helped out π
We’ve visited Bankhead, but never got “the scoop” on coal mining in Canmore. The museum exhibit sounds fascinating (and wonderfully bear-free)! π
Although all the trash receptacles in town are bear proof π I was surprised at how many coal mines were in such a relatively small geographical area. The trains were sure hungry for coal back then.
What a change a few decades make. The scenery is astounding, the history fascinating. From coal mine to affluent tourist destination. Iβm sure those coal miners NEVER would have guessed…
Thanks Pam. Even now when I visit Canmore, I’m astounded at both its growth, but also its ability to stay friendly and calm. You are right though, 50 years ago i don’t think anyone could have imagined the transformation of Canmore.
I love a good turnaround story in terms of cities that rebound or reinvent themselves. It is so often the case that the opposite happens… towns that increasingly suffer the blow of an industrial revolution or rural towns that lose gradually their populations due to the pull of urban jobs. So how refreshing to read about a mining town that reinvents itself as an eco sensitive hub. Thank you for the tour and the positive narrative.
Ben
So true Ben. We’ve all seen countless towns wither away as industries close down, or freeways bypass them. As they say buying a home – location, location, location. The formula for growth and transformation was perfect for Canmore. One hour from a major city, 5 minutes from one of Canada’s most beautiful national parks, and endless outdoor activity opportunities year-round.
What a great post. I know I would have a great time exploring there! I’ll bet your parents never envisioned the changes that were to come.
Thanks so much Steve and Laura! So true that my parents couldn’t have imagined the transformation of Canmore over 50-plus years!