Lille Ghost Town

Lille Ghost Town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta – Seeking an eerie fall hiking adventure in the Pass? Wander into the ghostly remains of the once prospering townsite of Lille. Discover the ephemeral life of a coal mining town at the turn of the 20^th century in Southern Alberta. Listen for the ghostly voices… if you dare. (Some imagination required.)

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Discovering Skeletons

It looms on the creekbank, a decaying hulk of coldly stacked stones. Leaves skitter across the trail. Rocks vibrate with abandoned energy. Here lay the skeletal remains of power – a massive monster of a powerhouse that once fed the workings of Mine No. 1.

In 1901, J.J. Fleutot and C. Remy, of Gold Fields Ltd. From British Columbia were prospecting on Gold Creek for the namesake elusive yellow mineral. What they found was shadowy seams of the blackest coal buried deep into the ground.

The company began work on the coal seams that same year at a site named French Camp. Backed by French capital, Fleutot organized West Canadian Collieries Ltd. They established the townsite of Lille – named after the French city. The ghostly remains of Lille lay just up the road on the banks of Gold Creek.

A Fragile Link

The Frank and Grassy Mountain Railway servicing Lille was completed in 1903. But then a mountain split apart, wreaking havoc on all its path. On April 29^th, 1903, the Frank Slide severely damaged the lower sections of the railway.

They rebuilt and Lille grew rapidly. By 1906, the tiny coal town had a hospital, a bakery and a butcher shop, a four-room school and a hotel. Five years later, it had a booming population of over 300. By 1912, the world coke market crashed. Lille’s boom days were over. West Canadian Collieries closed the mine. Buildings were carted away. The railway was dismantled. Lille faded away into the corners of dusty history books.

Knock, Knock…Who’s there?

Nobody.

But I swear I can hear the creaking of a swing beside scattered bricks that was once the schoolhouse. I can see coal dust drifting overhead as a train heads down the valley. Surely you can smell that yeasty scent of freshly baked bread wafting from the bakery.

No?

No, Lille is a ghost town. All that is here now are a few depressions, crumbling stone walls and bits of red brick. We strolled through the meadow, picking out depressions in the earth where buildings once sat. Some were deep. Perfect water catchments, most were filled with trees. Scraps of metal and splintered pieces of weathered wood were scattered around. We scoured the meadow searching for the rusting remains of two fire hydrants.

The massive stone foundation of the Lille Hotel sits like a silent sentinel, marking the road leading down to a large heap of coal slag and the brick coke ovens. In 1978, Lille was declared a Provincial Historic Site – mostly to protect the ruins of the 50-bay Bernard coke ovens. These ovens were designed and constructed in Belgium. Each brick was numbered. The ovens were taken apart and shipped to Lille where they were reassembled.

What’s Lille Ghost Town without a Graveyard?

Taking leave of disturbing remains of a once bustling townsite, we took a narrow path into the dark woods branching off the main track. Trees grabbed at our packs as we cautiously stepped forward. Ahead was a tiny clearing. In the middle stood a solitary headstone.

In 1976, an archaeological investigation identified seven definite graves in this tiny graveyard. According to Ian McKenzie’s book “Guide to the Heritage Cemeteries of Crowsnest Pass” only one of these graves is marked with a headstone. It belonged Mrs. Allice Petiot. She died in 1907.

Another adult known to be buried here was one Mr. D. Griffith. Apparently, he imbibed a little too much and died from exposure in March of 1906. A placard at the trailhead also mentions Mr. Joseph Spena and the young son of Mr. J. Petros – both of whom died in 1906 and were buried here as well.

The other graves – tragically – all belong to children. Irene Baillet died in 1906 at just under two years of age. Two-month-old Sidney Thompson passed in 1909. Five-month-old Eugene Chirouana was buried here in 1910.

R.I.P. little ones.

If You Dare Go

You can access the Lille Ghost Town trail in the Crowsnest Pass as we did by driving the gravel/dirt road off the switchback of the paved road at the hairpin corner on the way up to the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. Cross the cattleguard and follow the road uphill. Ignore the random camping and ATV trails spurring off left and right.

Turn left at obvious intersection near the top of the hill. Cross a second cattleguard and follow road downhill. Note: road is rough and full of potholes. When road splits again, take narrow left fork through forest. Park at signed parking area below metal powerline towers.

Walk on – carefully so as not to disturb any spirits that may still linger.

And if you think cemeteries are full of stories – stories that live on because you are there connecting to the past – then you might appreciate this post on Exploring Historic Cemeteries or this one on the Hillcrest Mine Disaster Memorial Park.