HAPPY CREEK MINE INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM TOWN OF HINTON RESEARCH REPORT Prepared For EDS Group Inc. 300, 3203 Ninety-Third Street Edmonton, Alberta On Behalf Of Town of Hinton 131 Civic Centre Road Hinton, Alberta Prepared By FMA Heritage Inc. 200, 1719 Tenth Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta December 2009 December 18, 2009 Jennifer Jones, BLA Associate Landscape Architect EDS Group Inc. 300, 3203 93 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6N 0B2 Dear Ms. Jones I am pleased to submit to you this report entitled, Hinton Happy Creek Mine Interpretive Program, Town of Hinton, Research Report. Should you have any questions regarding this project, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours truly, FMA HERITAGE INC. Meaghan Porter, M.A. /mp Executive Summary At the request of EDS Group Inc., and on behalf of the Town of Hinton, FMA Heritage Inc. conducted a research program and Historical Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) to locate, inventory, document and assess the Historic Period Hinton Mine (No. 1257); to provide background historic data to the Town of Hinton; and to facilitate their proposed Hinton Happy Creek Mine Interpretive Program. Documentary research focussed upon themes identified by the Town of Hinton as significant, including general histories of the Coal Branch region, the Hinton Mine explosion, mining techniques, and the people who worked at and operated the mine. Information was collected from the Provincial Archives of Alberta, the Glenbow Archives, the Coal Branch Archives, as well as numerous text and internet sources. The focus of the HRIA was to locate above ground remains. During the assessment, the mine was newly recorded as an archaeological site; the Hinton Mine (No. 1257) (FiQj 20). As the Town of Hinton is committed to preservation of the site, and are planning an interpretive program, minimal impact is expected. Development of a curation/preservation program is recommended, and site monitoring during construction of an interpretive pathway is also suggested, if necessary. Data that will assist in the preparation of the interpretive materials have been presented in the current volume, and include archival and mapping information. A permit report detailing the HRIA results has been completed and will be presented in accordance with Alberta Culture and Community Spirit guidelines. The results have also been summarized in the current document. Executive Summary iii Project Personnel PERMIT HOLDER : Meaghan Porter, M.A. ARCHAEOLOGIST : Barb Neal, M.A. RESEARCHERS : JP Foster, M.A. : Barb Neal, M.A. : Meaghan Porter, M.A. DRAFTING : Eddie Fung, B.Sc. : Keith Wilford, B.A. REPORT AUTHOR : Meaghan Porter, M.A THANKS TO : Marilyn Campbell, Coal Branch Archives : Don Engerdahl, Town of Hinton : Jean Anne Fraser, Town of Hinton : Dale Gilbertson, Town of Hinton : Jacquie Hannington, Hinton Historical Tracks and Trails Society : Lorraine MacKay, Hinton Historical Tracks and Trails Society Project Personnel v Table of Contents Letter of Transmittal ................................................................................ ii Executive Summary ............................................................................... iii Project Personnel .................................................................................... v Table of Contents .................................................................................. vii List of Figures ........................................................................................ ix List of Plates .......................................................................................... xi Introduction……… ........................................................................ …………1 Objectives .............................................................................................. 3 Scope of Work ....................................................................................... 3 Research Methods .................................................................................... 7 Research Foci ....................................................................................... 7 Documentary Research ........................................................................ 7 Archival Documents ................................................................... 8 Text Sources ............................................................................ 13 Internet Sources ....................................................................... 15 Results………… .................................................................................. ……16 Historical Context ............................................................................... 18 Focus #1: Coal Branch Overview ...................................................... 20 Focus #2: Overview of Hinton Collieries Ltd. ................................... 23 Operators ................................................................................. 23 Operations ............................................................................... 27 Mine Life .................................................................................. 35 Locations of Historic Mine Features and Early Hinton .............. 36 Focus #3: Mining Techniques ............................................................ 41 Focus #4: Mine Disasters ................................................................... 50 Archaeological Survey Results ........................................................... 57 Summary and Future Directions ......................................................... 73 Project Review .................................................................................... 73 Potential Themes for Future Research ............................................. 74 Potential for Interpretive Programming ............................................ 76 References Cited ........................................................................................... 77 Table of Contents vii Table of Contents viii Appendix I: Glossary of Mining Terms Appendix II: 1939 HCL and UMWA Wage Agreement Appendix III: Sample of Glenbow Archives Holdings CD Pocket: PAA Holdings, GIS Mapping Layers, Art Thornsen Interview Map Pocket: 1941 Mine Plan List of Figures Figure 1 Location of study area .......................................................... 2 Figure 2 Example of plan submitted to the MBA from HCL, 1937 (PAA File 77.237 1257g) ...................................................... 9 Figure 3 Hinton Collieries Ltd. in context .......................................... 10 Figure 4 Example of Mine inspection report (1936), (2 pages) (PAA File 77.237 1257a) .............................................................. 11 Figure 4 Example of Mine inspection report, (2 pages) (PAA File 77.237 1257a) ..................................................................... 12 Figure 5 Early correspondence from MBA to the HCL operators (PAA File 77.237 1257a) .................................................... 28 Figure 6 Response from HCL in regards to early operations (PAA File 77.237 1257a) .............................................................. 29 Figure 7 Archaeological sketch map of site FiQj 20, the Hinton Mine .................................................................................... 58 List of Figures ix List of Plates Plate 1 Detail of boiler plan on file at Coal Branch Archives, Hinton (#070409 Ken New fonds) ....................................... 14 Plate 2 Detail of Sterling Collieries ledger, on file at Coal Branch Archives, Hinton (#008.11 Sterling Collieries Ltd. fonds) .... 14 Plate 3 Frank Seabolt and family, n.d. (courtesy Hart 1980) ........... 24 Plate 4 Frank Seabolt’s home at the Bar F Ranch, n.d. (courtesy Hart 1980) ........................................................................... 25 Plate 5 Harry King and family, 1916 (courtesy Hart 1980) .............. 26 Plate 6 Moving a house from Pocahontas to Hinton, 1932 (courtesy Hart 1980) ........................................................... 30 Plate 7 Miner William (Pinky) Gough’s first home in Hinton, 1930 (courtesy Hart 1980) ........................................................... 32 Plate 8 Miner Bill Aitken’s house, n.d. (courtesy Hart 1980) ........... 32 Plate 9 Mine horses, possibly with barn boss George Johnson, note horse helmets, n.d. (courtesy Hart 1980) .................... 33 Plate 10 Bumpus Woody hauling coal carts from the mine, 1937 (courtesy Hart 1980) ........................................................... 34 Plate 11 West view of current structures along Highway 16 located where historic above-ground mine structures were located. ............................................................................... 37 Plate 12 North view of eastern portion of study area and general location of historic mine stables .......................................... 37 Plate13 North view to Ford Motors dealership and general historic location of mine warehouse, washhouse and payroll office. .................................................................................. 38 Plate14 West view of general area of tipple, identified by Viola Eeles (courtesy Eeles 2005) ............................................... 38 List of Plates xi List of Plates xii Plate15 Northwest view of general area of mine entrance, identified by Viola Eeles (courtesy Eeles 2005) .................. 39 Plate 16 Historic miner’s house along Forest Heights Drive, Hinton.. ................................................................................39