# Nordegg

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**Nordegg** is a [hamlet](/source/Hamlet_(place)) in west-central [Alberta](/source/Alberta), Canada within [Clearwater County](/source/Clearwater_County,_Alberta).[1] It is in the [North Saskatchewan River](/source/North_Saskatchewan_River) valley in the [foothills](/source/Rocky_Mountain_Foothills) of the [Canadian Rockies](/source/Canadian_Rockies), just east of the intersection of the [David Thompson Highway](/source/David_Thompson_Highway) and the [Highway 734](/source/Alberta_Highway_734) spur of the [Bighorn Highway](/source/Bighorn_Highway) (the Forestry Trunk Road). A former [coal mining](/source/Coal_mining) town, it was named after [Martin Nordegg](/source/Martin_Nordegg) and the name probably means "North Corner" in a German dialect.[2] The railway station name at the locality was called ***Brazeau*** rather than *Nordegg* at certain points in its history, but the local post office has always been named *Nordegg*. The name *Brazeau* is now obsolete.[3]

## History

In 1907, [Martin Cohn](/source/Martin_Nordegg) (who later changed his surname to Nordegg) of the German Development Company, working with D.B. Dowling of the [Geological Survey of Canada](/source/Geological_Survey_of_Canada), staked claims covering coal deposits near the South Brazeau (now [Blackstone](/source/Blackstone_River_(Alberta))), [Bighorn](/source/Bighorn_River_(Alberta)), and North Saskatchewan rivers. At Nordegg's urging, Brazeau Collieries Ltd. was founded to exploit them, and the [Canadian Northern Railway](/source/Canadian_Northern_Railway) (which later became part of the [Canadian National Railway](/source/Canadian_National_Railway)) agreed to build a rail line to the northern part of the area. This led to the founding of the coal-mining town of Nordegg.[2]

A small camp was established at the future townsite in 1911, coal production began in earnest in 1912, and the rail line, known as the Brazeau Branch, arrived at the town in 1913. Prior to that time, the Nordegg area was accessible only by [horse](/source/Packhorse). In 1914, the town was founded as one of the first planned communities in Alberta[2] and it was named in honor of Martin Nordegg's efforts by railway entrepreneur [William Mackenzie](/source/William_Mackenzie_(railway_entrepreneur)).[2]

When [World War I](/source/World_War_I) broke out, German assets in Canada were frozen. Martin Nordegg was permitted to remain at the town and supervise operations, but in the summer of 1915 he was asked to leave Canada. He was allowed to return in 1921, but he had lost his position with the mine.[2]

The coal at Nordegg is part of the [Gates Formation](/source/Gates_Formation) of the [Luscar Group](/source/Luscar_Group).[4] Of the five coal seams at Nordegg, two were mined: the No. 2 and No. 3 Seams, which averaged 7.75 feet (2.36 m) and 15.92 feet (4.85 m) thick, respectively. They were separated by about 123 feet (37 m) of rock. They [dipped](/source/Strike_and_dip) at an angle of 12° and were worked by [underground](/source/Underground_mining) [room and pillar](/source/Room_and_pillar) methods. Production peaked at 500,000 short tons (450,000 t) in 1923, and the labor force at that time was about 800. Five small [briquetting](/source/Briquette) plants were added to the operation in 1937 to produce a marketable product from powdery, fine coal.[2]

On 31 October 1941, a large underground explosion in the No. 3 Mine killed 29 miners.[2][5] Mining resumed six weeks later, and during 1942 the Nordegg mine was one of the top coal-producing mines in Alberta. The town reached a maximum population of about 2,500 in the early 1940s, and a [surface mining](/source/Surface_mining) operation was added in 1946.[2]

In 1950, a fire destroyed the [tipple](/source/Tipple) and five wooden briquetting plants. A new, more modern briquetting plant was then built of metal. It began operation at the end of 1951 but a large government debt had been incurred for its construction. Coal markets declined, primarily due to the decreasing use of [steam coal](/source/Steam_coal) as railroads replaced [steam locomotives](/source/Steam_locomotive) with [diesel](/source/Diesel_locomotives), and Brazeau Collieries closed permanently in 1955. Most people left after the mine closed, although a few families stayed on.[2]

The coal reserves at Nordegg had not been exhausted, but mining never resumed.[2] Total production had been about 9.6 million tonnes of low- to medium-volatile [bituminous coal](/source/Bituminous_coal).[6]

## Climate

Nordegg has a [subarctic climate](/source/Subarctic_climate) ([Dfc](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification)) which can be considered a [subalpine](/source/Montane_ecosystems) climate due to its altitude with locations on the same latitude having warmer climates. Summers are mild, with a few warm days sprinkled in here and there, while winters are cold and snowy.

## Demographics

Population history of Nordegg Year Pop. ±% 1941 768 — 1951 875 +13.9% 1961 42 −95.2% 1966 133 +216.7% 1971 96 −27.8% 1976 129 +34.4% 1981 63 −51.2% 1986 53 −15.9%

Nordegg recorded a population of 53 in the [1986 Census of Population](/source/1986_Canadian_census) conducted by [Statistics Canada](/source/Statistics_Canada).[7]

## Attractions

Most of the surface coal handling, processing and support facilities at Nordegg are still standing. They were declared a Provincial Historic Resource in 1992, and a [National Historic Site of Canada](/source/National_Historic_Site_of_Canada) in 2001.[8] There are guided tours of the surface facilities during the summer months. Tours of the underground mine workings are not possible because most of the tunnels have collapsed. A stretch of about 16 feet (4.9 m) into the entrances of the No. 2 and No. 3 Mines has been restored and can be entered, but beyond that the entries are blocked.

A [land exchange](/source/Land_exchange) with the Province of Alberta has stimulated redevelopment of Nordegg. A mountain acreage community, the North Nordegg Subdivision, is developing north of Highway 11, adjacent to the Shunda Creek Hostel. Clearwater County has released plans for the redevelopment of downtown Nordegg, much of it on the footprint of the original townsite.

## See also

- [List of communities in Alberta](/source/List_of_communities_in_Alberta)
- [List of hamlets in Alberta](/source/List_of_hamlets_in_Alberta)

## References

1. Belliveau, Anne (1999). *Small moments in time, the story of Alberta's Big West country*. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises Ltd, 238 p. ISBN 1-55059-178-9.

1. Ross, Jane & Kyba, Daniel (2016). [*The David Thompson Highway Hiking Guide – 2nd Edition*](https://books.google.com/books?id=OmpjCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19). Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-77160-091-0.

1. Mossop, G.D.; Shetsen, I. (compilers); Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (1994). ["The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Chapter 33: Coal Resources of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160701131122/http://ags.aer.ca/reports/atlas-of-the-western-canada-sedimentary-basin.htm). Archived from [the original](http://ags.aer.ca/reports/atlas-of-the-western-canada-sedimentary-basin.htm) on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.

1. Rocky Mountain House Reunion Historical Society (1977). [*Days Before Yesterday : History of Rocky Mountain House district*](http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=871088). Rocky Mountain House: Rocky Mountain House Reunion Historical Society. p. 112. ISBN 0-88925-003-0.

1. ERCB, 1985. Coal Mine Atlas: operating and abandoned coal mines in Alberta. Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board, Report Series ERCB-45, Calgary, Alberta.

1. [*1986 Census of Canada*](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-105-1888.pdf). Vol. Unincorporated Places. Population. Ottawa: [Statistics Canada](/source/Statistics_Canada). July 1988. Retrieved December 5, 2021.

1. ["The Nordegg Mine"](https://parks.canada.ca/culture/cseh-twih/202342). *Parcs Canada*. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 18 December 2024.

- *When Coal Was King: The Brazeau Collieries Operation at Nordegg, Alberta*. Compiled by Anne (McMullen) Belliveau for the Nordegg Historical Society. 2001.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.nordeggliving.ca)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nordegg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordegg) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordegg?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.