Canada 2012
We visited Canada in 2012 after a short stay in London to see the 2012 Olympic Games. Flying into Calgary, we travelled west to Vancouver before sailing up the Inside Passage – the coastal route which passes through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the ‘North American Fjordland’.
Bankhead Town and Mine
A few miles from Banff, Alberta, stands the abandoned coal mining town of Bankhead. The town, once home to over 1000 people, grew up next to the Bankhead Mine which produced anthracite to power steam trains between 1900 and 1922.
Most of the buildings have been removed, but some structures and mining equipment remain as a visitor attraction in the Banff National Park. The area is known for it’s wild rhubarb – planted by Chinese immigrants who worked in the breaker building. The rhubarb spread to the spoil heaps from vegetable gardens in the shanty town following the mines closure, or after the mine dies – as the Canadians say.
View these images ion Flickr:
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All images © W N BISHOP
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