Beaver Mines Explained

Beaver Mines
Settlement Type:Hamlet
Pushpin Map:Canada Alberta
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Beaver Mines in Alberta
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Alberta
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Southern Alberta
Subdivision Type3:Municipal district
Subdivision Name3:Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9
Subdivision Type4:Census Division
Subdivision Name4:No. 3
Leader Title:Governing body
Leader Name:Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9
Leader Title1:Mayor
Area Footnotes: (2021)
Area Land Km2:0.66
Population As Of:2021
Population Total:85
Population Density Km2:129.3
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:−7
Timezone Dst:MDT
Utc Offset Dst:−6
Coordinates:49.4567°N -114.1972°W
Elevation M:1300
Blank Name:Highways
Blank Info:774, 507

Beaver Mines is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9. It is located in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies on Highway 507, approximately 19km (12miles) west of Pincher Creek.

History

The community was formed with the opening of a coal mine in the early 1900s. At one time Beaver Mines had over 1,500 residents. Because of the requirement for steel (rail tracks) during the wars and the reduction in the need for coal, the coal mines eventually closed and the community residents moved away. The last mine shut down its operations in 1971 and currently the mine site and many of the building foundations are on private land. For the past 30 years Beaver Mines has been considered a ghost town and has had numerous write-ups in ghost town books.

Contemporary issues

Currently, due largely to the expansion of Castle Mountain Resort and the growth of Calgary to the north, the hamlet has begun to grow again as a popular recreational destination.

Climate

Beaver mines has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with mild to warm summers and cold, snowy winters with heavy snowfall for 8 months of the year. Late Spring and early Summer tends to be the wettest time of the year.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Beaver Mines had a population of 85 living in 43 of its 64 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 82. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[1]

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Beaver Mines had a population of 82 living in 36 of its 59 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 80. With a land area of 0.66km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places . . February 9, 2022 . February 10, 2022.
  2. Web site: Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) . . 8 February 2017 . 13 February 2017.