Miner's Path - Coleman, Alberta
Posted by: 
Bon Echo
N 49° 38.246 W 114° 30.294
11U E 680148 N 5501309
Describes the Miners Path, which is now a short hiking trail
Waymark Code: WMZ95T
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 10/02/2018
Views: 1
The sign is located in Flumerfelt Park, at the start of a small hiking trail leading to Rainbow Falls (
visit link)
Originally the trail was used by hard-working miners on their way to and from work in the McGillivray Mine.
More detail about the trail, from crowsnestheritage.ca (
visit link)
"The Miners Path was the historic route taken by Coleman miners on their way to work at the McGillivray Mine between 1909 and 1957. Up to 200 miners on each shift would walk the trail at all times of the year. Remnants of an electric lighting system installed in the 1940s for the night shift are still visible along the trail."
"The trail is now maintained by the Coleman Lions Club as a scenic/recreational walking trail. This easy, pleasant trail begins at Flumerfelt Park in Coleman and follows Nez Perce Creek for one kilometre to Rainbow Falls. The trail branches at the 0.4km mark where a bridge crosses the creek and leads steeply up stairs to the old McGillivray Mine site, which still has remnants of a bygone coal mining era. Please do not disturb any artifacts."
Text from the sign:
Miner's Path
The McGillivray Mine, which operated from 1909-1957, was one of Coleman's two main mines, the other being the International Coal and Coke Co. The Miner's Path led directly from downtown Coleman to the McGillivray mine site and was used by as many as 200 men each shift during the height of the coal mining era. Today's trail to the mine site starts in Flumerfelt Park, follows the valley of Nez Perce Creek for a little over half a kilometre before branching to the west and climbing steeply up the hillside staircase. The walk from home to the mine would take miners from 30 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on where they lived in Coleman, the weather, the miner's age and health. Unemployed men, during the Depression, would take the path to the mine each and every day, often for years, in the hopes of getting a job.
When the McGilliray Mine closed in 1957, the Miner's Path fell silent. Today, one can retrace the footsteps of the miners walk through history. By continuing straight at the junction to the mine, one finds a beautiful forested walk along the bubbling waters of Nez Perce Creek to Rainbow Falls, a distance of 1.2 kilometres. Be respectful, as part of this walk is on private lands. This path is maintained by the Coleman Lions Club and community volunteers.