A hamlet of about 70 residents today, in the early 1900’s, Nordegg was home to a population of over 2,000 people who had come here to work at the mine. At the time, it was one of the most modern mining towns in North America.

The old church in Nordegg is a favourite for couples looking at getting married in the West Country.

Facilities found in Nordegg include Cheechako Cabins, a motel, liquor store, post office, gas station and convenience store (sell fishing licences), a ranger station and the museum with a nice little coffee shop (open end of May to end of Sept.)

Brazeu Collieries in it’s hey days was among the largest and most advanced coal mines. Following a fire in 1950, which destroyed much of the surface installations, the mine was rebuilt only to shut down for good in 1955.

The facilities, which can be viewed today were state of the art at the time but coal was being replaced with oil and demand plummeted.

A three hour guided tour of the facility is well worth it, providing an overview of the human and industrial history of the area. In 2002, the mine was declared a National Historic Site.www.nordegghistoricalsociety.8m.com