Midland Provincial Park

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Midland Provincial Park
Midland Provincial Park - Fountain at Royal Tyrrell Museum.jpg
Alberta County Point Locator.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Midland Provincial Park in Alberta
Location Drumheller / Starland County, Alberta, Canada
Nearest city Drumheller
Coordinates 51°28′41″N112°46′20″W / 51.47806°N 112.77222°W / 51.47806; -112.77222
Area6.3 km2
Established5 Jun 1979
Governing body Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation

Midland Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada.

Contents

Once the site of the Midland Coal Mine, it was designated as a provincial park on June 5, 1979. It now hosts the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

It is located 6 km west of Drumheller on Highway 838 (North Dinosaur Trail).

Activities in the park include canoeing, kayaking, fishing, wildlife viewing and hiking through willows and cottonwoods along the Red Deer River. Points of interest are fossil beds, a mine site and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

1914 Mining Disaster

Following a two-day halt in operations due to overproduction, 237 miners resumed work at the Midland Provincial Park mine.

At around 9:40 a.m., three blasts from the mine whistle alerted nearby residents to an emergency. The explosions were likely triggered by a spark, which could have been caused by a rock fall, a lamp flare, a short in an electric cable, or a prohibited cigarette. This spark ignited methane gas, which stirred up coal dust, leading to further blasts throughout the mine's tunnels. Of the 237 miners that had entered the mine that morning, only 46 emerged.

In addition to the initial explosions, the resultant lack of oxygen and the rise in poisonous carbon dioxide gas, known as "blackdamp" or "afterdamp," posed significant threats. The force of the explosions also had above-ground impacts, including the destruction of a 20 cm (8 in.) thick concrete wall of the hoist house. [1]


Badlands in Midland Provincial Park Drumheller Badlands 2006.jpg
Badlands in Midland Provincial Park

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References

  1. "Canada's Deadliest Mining Disaster - Coal - Alberta's Energy Heritage". history.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-31.