Ghost Town Stories of Alberta: Abandoned Dreams in the Shadows of the Canadian Rockies

By Johnnie Bachusky

Today, many of the historic coal-mining communities of the Rocky Mountains are uninhabited ghost towns. Yet behind the crumbled ruins are tales of perseverance, danger and romance. A devastating mine explosion on Halloween shatters the lives of mining families in Nordegg. The miners of Mountain Park build a hockey rink still celebrated in local lore. A young immigrant couple in Mercoal establishes a successful business only to have their love story sadly cut short. These 11 dramatic and poignant ghost-town tales are sure to fascinate all who love pioneer history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heritage House
• Release date: Feb 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781926936185

Johnnie Bachusky

Johnnie Bachusky is an award-winning journalist who has explored hundreds of ghost towns across western and northern Canada since the late 1990s. He has written dozens of ghost-town and heritage-related articles for newspapers and magazines in Canada. His heritage photography has been featured in national and international publications, and he has been consulted and featured in many television and film documentaries. As well, he is the co-creator of three acclaimed websites about ghost towns in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, as well as the heritage photography site Silent Structures. His photography of pioneer wooden grain elevators is also featured on many websites, including Grain Elevators of Canada. He lives in Red Deer, Alberta.

Book preview

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