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Home>> People and Communities>> Geographical Communities>> Regional Profiles>> Drumheller Valley>> Midlandvale |
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Midlandvale | |||
Community events were important to Midlandvale, and in particular, the town supported many fine sports teams. Summer was the time for rousing games of baseball and soccer, and in winter, hockey dominated. Different groups in the Drumheller Valley recognized the benefits of sports. Mine operators saw an opportunity for advertisement through organized sports leagues that promoted their products. Unions and churches realized social benefits of sports and participated in their organization as well. Team sports were particularly popular with miners and unions because it promoted skill and was unconcerned with ethnicity and worker status. When the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) recognized the bond sports created between miners, they promoted sports as an example of their ideal. Like a union, a team that could work in coordination outperformed a group of single-minded individuals. Today, many of the rinks and fields that once outlined the
community have disappeared. In fact, there is very little left
of the old section of Midlandvale. However one lasting monument
to the town’s coal mining legacy still remains. In 1974, the
president of the Midland Mining Company, Sidney McMullen,
donated 595 hectares of mine land to the province. The area was
converted into an historic park and now welcomes visitors to
hike trails and read stories outlining the significance of
particular machines and buildings. The old head office is now an
interpretive centre that houses many exhibits on park ruins and
life before the use of heavy machinery was instituted. |
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