Coleman, Alberta
| Coleman | |
|---|---|
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 Coleman
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| Coordinates: 49°38′07″N 114°30′11″W / 49.6353°N 114.5031°WCoordinates: 49°38′07″N 114°30′11″W / 49.6353°N 114.5031°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Alberta
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| Census division | No. 15 |
| Specialized municipality | Municipality of Crowsnest Pass |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Governing body | Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council |
| Elevation | 1,320 m (4,330 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 1,065 |
| Time zone | MST (UTC−7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC−6) |
Coleman is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a town prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass.
Coleman is located in census division No. 15 and in the riding of Macleod. It is served by Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In 1903 a new townsite was laid out a few kilometres west of Blairmore, Alberta, to service a new coal mine operated by the International Coal and Coke Company. Initial names of Paulson’s Camp or McGillivray Hill were rejected by the post office, settling on Coleman (after the mothers maiden name of the president and mine owner A. C. Flumerfelt's wife, Ada and the middle name of his youngest daughter, Norma Coleman Flumerfelt) in 1904. A feature of the town was the mine’s 100 (later 216) coke ovens located at the edge of town, which operated from 1906 to 1952. The town grew rapidly, surpassing its neighbour Blairmore as the largest in the region. Coleman boasted a successful opera house from 1908 until it burned down in 1948.
Coleman persevered through strikes (1911 and 1932), floods (1923 and 1942) and fires (1948). As the coal mines in the region gradually closed, Coleman's commercial importance waned in favour of Blairmore. Coleman amalgamated with four other municipalities to form the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in 1979.
Coleman's coal mining heritage is evident in its several historic buildings, a regional museum, the ruins of its coal plant and coke ovens, several nearby abandoned mines and the "biggest piggy bank in the world" made from a 36-inch (910 mm) gauge air driven thermos bottle mine locomotive.
According to the 2006 Census of Canada, the population of Coleman is 1,065, which represents 19% of the overall population of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass (5,749).
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