what does southern alberta mine
1 Coal mining soon moved a few miles east of Banff to Canmore where the coal mine operated for 80 years. 2  The Crowsnest Pass in southern Alberta was also developed as a coal mining centre to supply coal to CPR.3  A similar role was established in west-central Alberta for an area known as the Coal Branch. Some of the earliest mining in Alberta was within what is now Banff National Park. 2  Coal was mined at Bankhead, a community just a few miles east of Banff townsite, to supply the Canadian Pacific Railway.