Introduction

Explorers & Prospectors
   William Fernie
   Michael Phillipps
   Peter Fernie
   Colonel James Baker

Discovery of Coal &
the Crowsnest Pass

Formation of the Coal Company & Railroad

Coal Company Investors
   George Cox
   Robert Jaffray
   Henry Pellatt

Tom Uphill

Discovery of Coal & the Crowsnest Pass

Discovery of the Crowsnest Pass
The Crowsnest Pass was discovered in 1873 by Michael Phillipps, one of the most prominent early settlers in the Kootenays. He and his companions had been exploring the upper Elk River for gold when they came across a large bison trail that traveled to Crowsnest Lake. Phillipps was surprised to find that the bison had wandered into the Elk Valley from the prairies without passing over any mountains. It is the only route in North America that was discovered from west to east.

When Phillipps proposed to open a trail through the Crowsest Pass to the prairies, William Fernie, the government representative for the area was very much opposed to his plan. The Ktunaxa avoided this route, which they considered "a very bad road," when they traveled to the prairies to hunt bison. According to legend, totem spirits who struggled for control of the pass guarded the east and west entrances to the pass. Dense underbrush and timber also made this route difficult. Knowing this, William believed it would be a waste of time and money to go ahead with the project. As a result of William’s opposition it was quite some time before the provincial government would support Phillipps proposal. With the help of Mr. Galbraith, who was then MLA for the Kootenay District, Phillipps was eventually awarded a contract of $75.25 by the provincial government to construct a trail through the Crowsest Pass.

In 1879 Phillipps hired Peter Fernie to help construct the trail he was building through the Pass. Peter set to work and relocated to the Elk Valley for the duration of the project, quickly building the trail required to open up the Crownest Pass. The trail that Peter completed in 1879, without bridges over the two rivers, was the same one that his younger brother had scoffed at when Phillipps originally proposed it.

Discovery of Coal
When Phillipps discovered the Crowsnest Pass, he had been prospecting for gold and was very disappointed to find "nothing but coal and coal everywhere." While Peter was working on the bridges Phillipps showed him the abundance of coal he had discovered. Peter thought little of the coal’s quality, responding, "if that’s your coal I don’t think much of it". As Gold Commissioner William Fernie learned about the coal from Phillipps and certainly would have had a report on it from his brother. Later Peter and his brother William went alone to explore the area further and discovered the full extent of the coal fields, the largest in Canada! The Fernie brothers then spent the next ten summers, until 1887, staking out the coal fields in the Elk Valley.

James Baker		Formation of the Coal Company & Railroad