The Beverly Mines

Did you know there used to be a coal mine where the Rundle Park golf course is located?

During its 34 years in operation, the Humberstone Mine, which operated near the present-day Rundle Park Golf Course, extracted nearly 1 million tons of coal. Although there were several coal seams in the Edmonton area, this seam near Beverly produced 95% of the coal produced here.

Coal was used to heat houses and as fuel for stoves, ovens, and for the blacksmith’s forge. It was also used to fuel steam turbines to produce electricity. It is also an ingredient in making steel. It was first mined in the Edmonton area by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1840s where erosion along the River Valley exposed coal seams. These “gopher hole” mines were dug by 1 or 2 people with pickaxes to supply fuel for Fort Edmonton and to produce steam for the paddle wheelers that sailed the river.

Between 1880 and 1974, over 150 coal mines operated in Edmonton. Of these, 50 were in Beverly. The economic effect of the mines is clearly seen in the population growth. Beverly was incorporated as a hamlet in 1906 with only a few families living there. By 1913, there were 400 residents and the Village of Beverly was incorporated. One year later, the population was over 1,000 and the village became a town.

Using a pick and shovel, miners could dig and load between 12 and 20 carloads in an 8-hour shift. The train cars were either pulled out of the mine if it was a horizontal shaft, or the cars were dumped into hoist cars that were lifted to the surface. Mining was dangerous because of cave-ins, fires and floods, and the mine operators were safety conscious. However, at the time, the risk of black lung disease caused by breathing in coal dust particulates was not widely known.

The Humberstone Mine closed in 1934 but remains central to Beverly’s history.

Original story posted by Gary Dick to an internal Edmonton website.