The blood tax of coal was 3.5 lives for every million tons of coal produced in Drumheller valley.
In all 207 lives were lost while working the black. These names, gathered by a 3 year volunteer research project spearheaded by the Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society, are etched in black granite on a monument to be unveiled November 10 in downtown Drumheller. Guests for the unveiling will include sons, daughters, wives, nieces and nephews of men who perished in the Drumheller coalfield.
The unveiling will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the park next to the Civic Centre. The ceremony and reception will then move to the Badlands Community Facility at 2:10 p.m.
The first mine fatality in Drumheller was a tourist. In 1913, Harry Holden was visiting the booming new town and was taken on a tour of the Drumheller Mine. Not only was this tour illegal, it was deadly, as the hoistman neglected to hitch the mine car he was riding in to the cable before sending it down the slope. According to the report, every bone in Holden’s body was broken.
The worst decade was the 1920’s during which 77 lives were lost in the Drumheller mines. This is the decade of biggest growth in Drumheller, when over 50 mines were operating and most of downtown Drumheller was built. These tumultuous years were characterized by “a civil war of miners” as various unions fought for the right to represent the miners and improve their working conditions. Communism was huge, as many miners felt the companies paid little heed to their safety and working conditions.
Some miners were also war veterans. Meredith Rowden was decorated with a DMO for extreme bravey in the Battle of Passchendaele, only to be killed in the Midland Mine when a huge slab of rock fell on him in 1928.
In WW2, miners were considered an essential service, and generally not allowed to leave their job. Private George Hill Brown was serving his country in the Atlas Coal Mine. On January 4, 1944, he slipped beneath a car and was fatally injured. His name also appears on the Drumheller cenotaph because he was in Active Service at the time of his death. Tragically, his brother Bertram was killed in the Murray Mine the year before, when a pony bolted. Ponies were used for hauling coal underground.
The Miners’ Memorial is a granite and steel monument designed by James Smith of Ontario. The monument will be unveiled at 2 pm on November 10 in downtown Drumheller. Everyone is welcome to attend. The park will be fully developed over the next few months, and dedicated on May 4, 2013.
