Historians are unsure as to whether coal mining in Mountain Park started in 1912 or 1914. In 1909, John Gregg staked his claim for the future Mountain Park mine as well as the one at Luscar. The creation of the town’s name can be attributed to Robert Thorton, who was a British financial backer for Mr. Gregg’s stakes. Thorton, had never been in the Canadian wilds before, and when he came across the location for the future site of Mountain Park he said, “If we do start a mine, I have chosen a name for the town that will be built. This is like a park in the old country. We will call it Mountain Park.”

For more information on the incredible history of Mountain Park and other mining communities along the Alberta Coal Branch, you can read our full report here, or check out the display at the museum.

Christopher White, author of the paper ‘The Old Edson Cemetery: Investigations into an Early 20th Century Western Alberta Cemetery’ presented a talk and tour of the site on July 21, 2013.

Christopher’s thesis uses archaeological survey and historic documentary sources to reconstruct past mortality patterns and understand mortuary practices from the early 20th century Edson Cemetery in Edson, Alberta. For more information on the event, to read Christopher's entire thesis, or to watch his presentation you can click here.