Nordegg, Alberta
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Nordegg is a hamlet in the mountains of Clearwater County, west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in the North Saskatchewan River valley in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, at the crossroad of David Thompson Highway and the 734 spur of the Bighorn Highway.
[edit] History
The community was initially founded as a coal mining town in the early 1900's and is named after Martin Nordegg, a representative of a German development company. The town was a joint venture between the German firm and the Canadian Northern Railway. The coaling operation was named Brazeau Colleries, after the nearby Brazeau River.
In 1914, as World War I broke out, German assets in Canada were frozen, and Nordegg himself was asked to leave Canada. However, the town retained its name, unlike many other German-named towns in Canada during this time.
Coal production at Nordegg continued until 1955, at which time declining demand for coal from railway operators, due to a switch to diesel locomotives, drove the operation out of business.
[edit] Nordegg today
During its peak, Nordegg was a town of over 3000, however after the closure of the mine most of the population left, and today there are only a few hundred people remaining. Most of the mining operation is still standing, and as of 2002 the mine site was declared a National Historic Site. At the mine site, visitors may experience a guided tour of the original town grounds in addition to the coal operating grounds. Tourists should keep in mind that actual entrance into the mine itself is no longer possible or allowed, as time has caused the contents to collapse, thereby rendering a tour impossible.
A land exchange with the Province of Alberta has stimulated redevelopment of Nordegg. An acreage community is developing north of Highway 11, adjacent to the Shunda Creek Hostel, and Clearwater County has released plans for the redevelopment of downtown Nordegg, much on the footprint of the original townsite.
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