Introduction

Early Mining Communities

• Technology and Transportation
• Coal Companies
• Health & Environment

Why Some Communities Declined

Hosmer

Technology and Location

• Michel-Natal

Why Others Have Endured

Fernie: The Centre of the East Kootenays

• Administration
• Business
• Technology in the Form of Transportation

Early Mining Communities

Early settlements sprouted in the Elk Valley with the development of coal mines by the Crowsnest Pass Coal Company and the Canadian Pacific Railway. The first coal mine opened at Coal Creek in 1897 and within a decade three others in Morrissey, Michel-Natal and Hosmer followed suit. Settlers began to move into the area hoping to earn good wages in the coal mines and create a better way of life for themselves and their families.

During this time it was common practice to live within close proximity to one's place of employment. Shortly after production began, settlements developed in the areas surrounding each of the four mine sites. Mining communities were usually located within walking distance of the mines for several reasons.

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