The town of Mountain Park was founded in 1911 with the creation of the Mountain Park Coal Company. The town was built at an elevation of 1890 metres (6200 feet), making it the highest permanently inhabited community in all of Canada. At the height of its popularity, Mountain Park was home to about 1500 residents.
A series of mining towns scattered along the Central Rockies’ eastern slopes were collectively known as the Alberta Coal Branch. Mountain Park was the first of these towns to be erected along the Coal Branch’s western line, it was also the first town to fall during the coal depression in a post-World War II world.
Situated in remote wilderness, feelings of isolation and loneliness were common. The town was able to keep spirits high with community gatherings, sporting events and other popular activities. Today, there is nothing left other than the cemetery, which also happens to be the highest cemetery in North America. I hope you enjoy this collection of historical photos depicting the once bustling community of Mountain Park in Alberta’s central Rocky Mountains.
For other posts featuring Alberta ghost towns please see these previous stories: Historical Photos from the Town of Bankhead and Historic Photos from Silver City.
The photos above were collected from Archives Canada. If you’re interested, additional information can be found for each photograph on theie website. Stay tuned for additional posts featuring historical photos from across Alberta and Western Canada. We’d love to know what you think in the comment section below.
