While visiting Fernie we happened upon the Miners Walk in front of city hall. We noticed a metal sculpture and at first wondered what it was intended to represent. As we walked around the walk and happened to approach a particular spot the miner's face became obvious.
Face of a Miner was skillfully crafted by internationally known Calgary artist
Jeff de Boer. It consists of several two dimensional segments set at various depths, only viewable as a whole from a specific line. The sculpture is the focal point of the walk.
Also included in the walk are a series of informational plaques which relate the story of coal mining in Fernie. Were it not for coal, Fernie, and several other communities through the Crowsnest Pass, would never have existed. Some no longer exist, as they became ghost towns shortly after their coal mines were closed, either for economic reasons or for lack of coal.
The Miners Walk was for seven years a work in progress, finally being completed in October 2011.
The Fernie Miners Walk exhibit is located on City Hall grounds, the original headquarters of the old Crows Nest Pass Coal Company.
The exhibit is set in beautiful flower gardens with leafy mountain ash trees providing shade. There are picnic benches, seating and the walk is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
The exhibit is paved with over 300 bricks bearing the names of miners, mining families and those who supported the building of the feature. Surrounding this, are six interactive posts with educational panels featuring the history of mining in the Elk Valley with imagery reflecting the geological roots of mining and the local ecosystem. The exhibit also features a series of fun challenges perfect for young children, plus fossil replicas and a series of special local sculptures from the Fernie Forge- look around and make sure you find them all.
Approach the walk from the West side/5th street, across from the Fernie Heritage Library. Look across to the other side of the walk and you will see what appears to be a sculpture of a miner's face - but as you walk around you will see that this is an optical illusion, as the face turns into simple posts, angles and shapes with a circle design at the top.
When you finally get to the end of the walk, the structure turns back into the face of a miner compete with hard hat and lamp- reflecting the journey that the Elk Valley has taken through the history of mining.
From Tourism Fernie