The heritage markers have been placed in a small park, named Miners Park in honour of the miners who worked the coal mines in the years from 1899 to 1983. In the park are also a memorial plaque mounted on a large boulder, a picnic table and a bear proof garbage container.
One of the markers is a standard BC Highway Tourism sign, while the other, now partially covered by a large blue spruce, was placed by the District of Sparwood. Both deal with the history of the now extinct coal mining towns of Michel, Natal and Middleton.
The BC Heritage Marker, which tells of the towns of Natal, Michel and Middletown, reads as follows:
NATAL, MICHEL
AND MIDDLETON (1898-1976)
Gone but still remembered—no formal boundaries divided the communities of Natal, Michel and Middletown—"home" to thousands of coal miners for generations. Workers came from many parts of Europe and North America to toil in these mines. Explosions and other accidents took a steady toll, and fluctuating coal prices often made employment sporadic. Yet the inhabitants of these towns could recall a strong civic spirit and their friendships lasted for decades. By the 1960s the mines were in decline, and the District of Sparwood, incorporated May 12, 1966, replaced the colourful towns that were here in the past.