In 1897-98, settler-colonists flooded into the Crowsnest Pass and neighbouring Elk Valley, first to build a new branch line for the Canadian Pacific Railway and then to work in the booming coal mining industry that followed.1 The British Columbia entrance into the Crowsnest Pass has been a centre for coal production ever since, with early settlements at Michel and Natal (now demolished) and a later settlement at Sparwood.2
Today, coal destined for sale to AsiaPacific steelmakers is produced in a strip mine located on a mountain ridge directly above where Michel and Natal once teemed with houses, people and coal production. Coal workers have been continuously unionized at Sparwood/Natal/Michel since they organized their first union in 1902.3 In the mid-20th century, an internal union struggle pitted Michel Local 7292 of…
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British Columbia History (Digital) - 1 Issue, 56.4 Winter 2023