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HUMAN HISTORY - Mining Begins
Help was needed and it came in the form of
William Cornelius Van Horne
head of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Due to natural and economic disasters, Van Horne was in
no position to finance the new line and in classic
Canadian fashion lobbied for a government subsidy.
Negotiations lasted for months and in 1897 the deal was
done. Given a $11,000 per mile subsidy, CPR agreed to
construct the railway. The Dominion Government secured
lower freight rates from CPR (the "Crow Rates") as well as
50 000 acres of coal land. Fernie and Baker agreed
to develop mines and supply coal at reasonable prices.
Mining began late in 1897 when twenty miners from Cape
Breton were brought to Coal Creek near Fernie. In that first
year 10,000 tons of coal and 361 tons of
coke
were
produced in the field. By the end of 1898 the rail line was
complete. As markets grew, the mines were expanded and more
miners came to the Crowsnest.
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