Tour #3: Western Mines of Many Kinds

Journey into the blackness of an underground coal mine to where coal was once extracted. Explore ghost towns to learn about the people who contributed to the richly diverse cultural fabric of the regions where they worked and lived.

Many towns in British Columbia began in the late 1800’s because of mining. Whether it was precious metals like gold and silver or industrial materials like coal, copper and fluorite, people came from all over the continent and the world to work the mines. Welsh, Italian, German, French and English were just some of the nationalities that were lured into promises of a better life and perhaps a chance to ‘strike-it-rich’! Some of the towns still remain vital today, like Fernie and Nelson to name a few. Others have become deserted ghost towns like Sandon and Phoenix.

Day 1 Calgary to Fernie

No mountains will fall today, so enjoy a hearty welcome to the west. No safety equipment required while you explore the aftermath of nature’s wrath on a coal mine. Turtle Mountain fell as coal miners toiled on their ghostly shift while the rest of the town slept. The story of this unusual tragedy is uncovered for you today.

By the end of the day you will arrive in a town where many families still work in the local mines. Open-pit mining has replaced underground coal operations in the region for some years now. Many still remain to recall days spent deep in tunnels beneath mountains, laboring for just a few cents a day.

Enjoy the next three nights stay at a top rate alpine resort in Fernie, right in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Perhaps the Ghost Rider will be there to greet you!

Day 2 Fernie

Breakfast is served at the Lodge. Then, your journey follows a portion of the obsolete Great Northern Railway along the Elk River. The road continues through mountain tunnels and past a tiny place that once had dreams of grandeur. Turning off the Crows- nest Highway you’ll follow the Bull River to a fort. A guide is there to reveal the fascinating story of this historical site and its connection to a precious metal, GOLD!

Return to the ‘Gold Rush’ days and like the prospectors from yester-year, you’ll be entertained by the local follies before returning to Fernie.

Lead by a curator for the Fernie and District Historical Society, you can learn about the history of a town that was propelled into existence by a shiny black rock and whose roots are set deep in the coal mines.

Day 3 Fernie

This morning, an interpretive hike with a local geologist will help you appreciate the evolution and the magnitude of the natural forces that formed the local geological environment.

After lunch, it’s only a short scenic drive to the Elkview mine, an operating open-pit coal mine. From your vantage point overlooking the mine operations the machinery and equipment look like tinker toys in a sand box. To help put things back into their proper perspective, you’ll have the opportunity to see ‘the toys’ close-up.

On your way home, you’ll see a giant green monster by the road. Stop! You’ll definitely want to take a picture of this!

Day 4 Fernie to Nelson

On the road to gold we go. See the underground workings of a once very productive gold mine. The Le Roi Mine was sold to a ‘Gold Recorder’ for $12.50, in lieu of recording fees. This mine went on to produce $30 million during its lifetime, which would equate to $1 billion at today’s prices. Come learn about the fascinating history of the mine and leave with great respect for the hardy breed of men who laboriously drilled, blasted and hand mucked 128 kilometers (80 miles) of underground tunnels.

Out of the dark recesses of the mine and into the light, you are on your way to Nelson, a picturesque town nestled on a mountainside, overlooking Kootenay Lake. A copper silver deposit discovered over a century ago, allowed Nelson to blossom into the thriving community it is today. Take a stroll along the lakefront or explore the myriad shops and restaurants in this small city.

Day 5 Nelson to Kelowna

Aquamarine, mauve, yellow and white rocks glitter and sparkle in the summer sun. As you dig, hammer and pick your way around these rocks you might be lucky enough to discover the rare and sought after crystals. Your guide will explain which industries these eye-catching ‘rocks’ contributed to.

By now, you will have noticed that the landscape has changed. The mountains and lush green forests have given way to desert-like brown rolling hills and rocky escarpments.

Your ‘base camp’ for the next three nights is perched high above the city of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake. Dinner is served with a view.

Day 6 Kelowna

Cycle the morning away in the tunnels and on trestles of the Kettle Valley Railway. Set high above the Myra Canyon, this historic section of railway will surely impress you.

Lunch is served on a terrace before a guided tour of a special winery.
Fruits for your labor.

Day 7 Kelowna

You wake up this morning with ‘Gold Fever’! You hear a voice, “Go North” … North to Vernon, then East, until X marks the spot. Panning frigid mountain rivers, you’re likely to come away with some shiny treasure!

All this prospecting is likely to have built up your appetite. Time to ‘chow-down’. Savour sumptuous cuisine and taste the nectars of the fruits at this well known local winery. Find out about their unique method of storing wine.

Day 8 Kelowna to Nelson

The bright sunshine and blue skies beckon you to the start of another wonderful day. A Jammery hosts you for breakfast before traveling country roads. You’ll journey along part of an old railway route that brought the regional riches of the earth to market. This scenic highway is also dotted with deserted mines, secreted away from your sight by tightly knit forests.

Midway, Greenwood and Grand Forks are all small towns in Boundary Country that can trace their beginnings back to mining. Early in the 1860’s Placer mining began in the Greenwood area. Twenty years later, Lode (or hard rock) claims were staked and the production of copper, gold and silver ore began. In 1900 and 1901 smelters were constructed in both Grand Forks and Greenwood. By 1919, frequent labour unrest at the Crowsnest coalfield created a shortage of coke that caused the smelters and many of the mines to close.

Returning to Nelson, you’ll dine and retire lakeside this evening, an ideal way to end a full day.

Day 9 Nelson

Cool off today spelunking in the Selkirk Mountain Range. You’ll be guided through tunnels and galleries displaying intriguing formations like stalactites, stalagmites and soda straws.

On the west shore, above the azure lake, your lunch is served. Perhaps you’ll explore another cave here, while you take a rejuvenating soak. For the hardy, try the plunge pool for a very refreshing experience, compliments of the Kokanee Glacier above.

Now it’s time to take a walk. Along your way, the mining heritage of Nelson unfolds. Your guide will take you from the past into the present as you meander your way around this town named after a Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Mr. Hugh Nelson. Previous to this it had been named Stanley, after Canada’s Governor General Lord Stanley, but there was already a settlement to the west in the Cariboo district with the same name.

Day 10 Nelson

A tour of the “Oldest known surviving intact passenger sternwheeler in the world” will help you imagine what it was like to cruise Kootenay Lake in the early 1900’s. Although dubbed a passenger carrier, it also delivered ore, mining equipment, lumber, cattle, farm machinery, fruit and household goods. Down the street, go into the Kootenay Star museum to see mining and other artifacts from early in the last century. It is a small, interesting museum and well worth a ‘look-see’!

Lunch picnic-style, with the ghosts in an old mining town. You’ll have time to explore, before hiking to breathtaking vistas atop Idaho Peak.

Descending the mountain, and along the winding highway you’ll return to the lake. Follow the rainbow for a delightful dining experience. You might even have time to stop and soak your bone-weary body in the hot springs.

Day 11 Nelson to Fernie

Breakfast, then it’s off to the docks. Ride the ferry across the cold, sparkling waters of Kootenay Lake to the east shore. Visit with the local artisans and look on with amazement as a blob of liquid glass suddenly turns into an elegant vase. Marvel as a tube of iron is quickly twisted to form candelabra.

Then it’s time to ‘whet your whistle’ at the Columbia Brewery, where they’ll serve up some of their famous Kokanee Beer.

Time flies ahead as you travel familiar roads. Or is it déjà vu? Dinner is served.

Day 12 Fernie to Calgary

Into the mine for the last time, grab your headlamp and enter the pitch black, dark world of the coal miner. This mine opened in 1903 and operated until the expanded use of gas and oil decreased the demand for coal. It was closed in 1962.

Enjoy lunch at Leitch Collieries, once one of the largest mines in the Crowsnest Pass. Skeletal remnants of an impressive facility, is all that remains. Traveling the roads of Alberta’s foothills, you’ll arrive in what used to be known as Turner’s Valley. The Turner Valley oil field was “Western Canada’s first significant producer of natural gas”. It remained operational as a gas processing plant until 1985.

Back in Calgary, a walk in the park will bring you to a charming café by the river.
Take a seat and relish the dining experience.
Tomorrow, you are homeward bound.
We hope your journey into the mines has left you ‘rich’ with memories!

Next...Tour #4: Equestrians & Cowboys