Lethbridge City Mine - Lethbridge, Alberta
Posted by: 
Bon Echo
N 49° 41.568 W 112° 51.315
12U E 366197 N 5506127
Overlooking the Oldman River and Fort Whoop-up
Waymark Code: WMZ6J7
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 09/18/2018
Views: 3
Historical plaque located high above the Oldman River Valley and Fort Whoop-Up. the sign tells of the Lethbridge City Mine, where coal was mined for the use in heating and electricity production. opened in 1909, this was some 27 years after the start of coal mining in the valley. The first mine was located on the west bank of the Oldman river, the location likely within view of the sign if it was identifiable. The first organized mines (Galt Coal Mines #1 and #2) were located about 750 meters north of the sign (
visit link)
Text from the sign:
Lethbridge City Mine
In 1909, the city of Lethbridge got into the coal mining business. It opened a mine on the east bank, close to where the present Sixth Avenue bridge crosses the Oldman River.
Eight men and one horse produced about 23 tonnes of coal each day. Most of the coal went to the city power plant located close by in the river valley. The coal cars ran straight from the mine to the power plant. The coal was dumped automatically, elevated into hoppers, and fed to the fires. Public buildings including schools, city offices and the fire hall got coal from this mine too. The city also distributed coal from the mine to needy families.
The Lethbridge City Mine was abandoned in 1941 when the city converted the power plant to gas. Over 345,000 tonnes of coal had been taken from the mine. Cracks and slumping on the ground above the mine are the only evidence of the underground activity that once kept Lethbridge warm and bright.