Welcome to Black Diamond
Nestled in the majestic foothills of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, our town of 2000 people is a great place to work, visit, play or do business. Just 30 minutes south of Calgary, Black Diamond is a vibrant place that offers extraordinary natural beauty, a thriving artistic community and a taste of living history you won't find anywhere else.Black Diamond - Our History
WHAT'S IN A NAME?In
the late 1800s a government land surveyor by the name of James McMillan
discovered abundant local coal deposits in this area. By 1899, A.
McPherson and J.J. Cooper opened a coalmine just near the west bank of
the Sheep River. 650 tons of high-grade coal were produced here annually
and shipped by a wagon track to Okotoks. The mine site and crazily
tilted coal seams in rocky outcrops are visible today from the 3 km
Friendship Trail that connects to nearby Turner Valley.
A mine of this size required workers, who relocated
to the area along with ranchers looking for a place to call home. This
population influx necessitated a store and a post office, which were
established by Herb Arnold around 1907. These buildings were located at
the intersection of Centre Avenue and Government Road (Highway 22),
forming the core of what is now Black Diamond's main street.
This growing community had yet to be named at this
point and there was some dispute as to whether it should be called Black
Diamond after the nearby coalmine that referred to the high grade coal
as a "black diamond", or Arnoldville after the local postmaster, Arnold.
The dispute was settled when Black Diamond was drawn from a hat in
1907.
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