Leitch Collieries Ruins: Alberta Ghost Town History on the Crowsnest Highway

 

 

If you are searching for Alberta ghost towns, abandoned coal mines, or an easy Crowsnest Pass road trip stop, Leitch Collieries Provincial Historic Site is one of the best pulls off Highway 3.

The ruins sit at the east entrance to the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, between Burmis and Bellevue, just a few minutes from Frank Slide. From the highway you see the stone shell of the mine manager’s house first. Thick sandstone walls. Empty arched windows. Concrete piers holding up a building that lost its roof more than a century ago.

This was not a small prospect hole. Leitch Collieries Coal and Coke Company opened in 1907 as the only fully Canadian-owned and operated coal mine in the Pass. The plan was simple and huge: mine the seams north of Police Flats, wash and sort the coal, load it onto the Canadian Pacific Railway, and turn part of it into coke. They built a powerhouse, a tall washery, a tipple, and a row of 101 coke ovens. Passburg grew beside the works with a post office, school, hotel, and a few hundred people.

The fortune never arrived. The coal did not coke well. A long strike in 1911 cost them customers. World War I cut markets and money. The banks closed in. A last sale fell apart when the buyer died. Production stopped around 1915. Houses from Passburg were moved to Bellevue. Scrap metal left during the Second World War. The stone stayed.

Today the site is a self-guided walk through Alberta coal mining history. Paths lead past the powerhouse ruins, the coke-oven line, the old washery foundations, and that manager’s house. Interpretive plaques tell the story. Listening posts play recorded voices from miners and managers who lived it. A full loop takes about an hour.

 How to visit Leitch Collieries

• Location: north side of Highway 3, Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
• Pair it with Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, Bellevue, Blairmore, Coleman, or Lundbreck Falls
• Parking lot is large enough for trucks and RVs
• Admission by donation in summer
• Washrooms and picnic tables mid-May to Labour Day
• Dogs welcome; off-leash area on site
• Gravel paths, mostly easy walking
• Check Crowsnest Pass weather before you go. It changes fast.

New KassDays video on this stop is Live:

I Thought I Had My Fortune Made | Exploring Leitch Collieries Ruins (Southern Alberta)
https://youtu.be/T-_8R5Wx0QI

If you are mapping Alberta abandoned places, Crowsnest Pass ghost towns, or Highway 3 history stops between Lethbridge and Fernie, put Leitch Collieries on the list. It is one of those roadside ruins that looks small from the truck and then holds you for an hour.

Kass
KassDays

Leitch Collieries Provincial Historic Site

Echoes of the Past: Leitch Collieries Provincial Historic Site

Tucked in the rugged Crowsnest Pass of southern Alberta, along Highway 3 near Blairmore, Leitch Collieries stands as a poignant reminder of the region's early 20th-century coal boom.

Founded in 1907 by William Hamilton as Leitch Collieries Ltd., it was the only fully Canadian-owned and operated coal mine in the area, ambitiously built with advanced facilities including a processing plant, coke ovens, washery, tipple, and powerhouse.

Despite high hopes, economic challenges and World War I led to its closure in 1915, leaving behind evocative ruins that now form a Provincial Historic Site.

Visitors can explore self-guided walking paths dotted with interpretive panels and audio posts, wandering among the weathered stone structures that whisper stories of miners' lives.

The attached image captures the remnants of the mine manager's residence, its arched windows and sturdy stone walls standing resilient against time and the elements.

This free, family-friendly site offers a fascinating glimpse into Alberta's industrial heritage, perfect for history buffs and photographers alike.

To find out more on the Leitch Collieries follow the link provided. 

Stay tuned for the full-length video exploration coming soon to the KassDays YouTube channel, diving deeper into its secrets and surroundings!