Many folks know about the rich history of farming, ranching and oil & gas in our province. One of the resources that can be forgotten is coal. It was a major economic drive in Southern Alberta until oil & gas took off. What some may not realize is that the Royal Line had their own tie to the coal industry.

From 1920-22 Duchess, AB had a coal mine. The Duchess Coal Company worked a shallow mine for coal for the two years.

Knowing that CP Rail targeted work contracts and immigration from Wales, due to their knowledge of mining and working through rock to build the rail line. It is a preponderance how many would settle and work for the early coal companies. A family aside for this writer, my Great-Granddad came to Montreal, QC for a short stint to work with CP Rail just for this reason.