Drumheller | Rosebud | Wayne | Carbon | East Coulee | Munson

Drumheller
Horseshoe Canyon from the air
A tractor in front of the Morrin historical sod house
two canyons (the other is Horse Thief
Canyon) in the Drumheller area. This is
also the spot for canyon helicopter tours
and hiking trails. Photographers should
plan a visit at sunrise or sunset because
the view can be spectacular. If you’re
lucky, you might meet Fossil Steve and
see his amazing collection of fossils and
casts at Horseshoe Canyon.
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Munson
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Morrin
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Morrin
The mesas and coulees of Horseshoe Canyon are one of the most spectacular views in the Canadian Badlands
Drumheller
The antique coal train ride at the Atlas Coal Mine
Ron from Top-Down Tours inside the sod house at Morrin
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Rosebud | Wayne | Carbon | East Coulee
Horseshoe Canyon | Atlas Coal Mine
A special part of the Canadian Badlands.
Horseshoe Canyon helicopter rides
Alberta pioneers lived in. An agricultural
centre, Morrin is also supported today by
the oil and gas industry.
Due to its proximity to Hwy. 9, which
runs between Calgary and Drumheller,
Horseshoe Canyon is the busiest of the
Kids on the Atlas Coal Mine Tunnel Tour
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The great wooden tipple at the Atlas Coal Mine
Drumheller Rosebud Wayne Carbon East Coulee Munson Morrin Horseshoe Canyon Atlas Coal Mine
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Rosebud | Wayne | Carbon | East Coulee
Horseshoe Canyon | Atlas Coal Mine
Drumheller, “The Dinosaur Capital of
the World” is what comes to mind when
most people think of the Canadian Badlands. It’s a 90-minute drive from Calgary and home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the richest deposits of fossils
and dinosaur bones in North America.
Much of Drumheller is themed
around the dinosaur. For instance, you
can play a round at the Dinosaur Golf
& Country Club, climb the T-Rex, the
world’s largest mascot, and stay at the
Best Western “Jurassic Inn”. Non-dinosaur-related accommodation includes
the Heartwood Inn & Spa, with its own
“Honeymooner’s Cottage”.
Southwest of Drumheller is Rosebud, a country community set in an eroded river valley and surrounded by rolling
wheat fields. It has fewer than 100 resi-
The Opera House in Rosebud
The Rosedeer Hotel in Wayne
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Munson
T-Rex, the world’s largest mascot, in Drumheller
Drumheller Rosebud Wayne Carbon East Coulee Munson Morrin Horseshoe Canyon Atlas Coal Mine
Big dino, weighing in at 145,000 pounds was built in 2000 with fibreglass and steel:
Height: 86 Feet (26 Metres) Length: 151 Feet (46 Metres). Small dino, built by Trygve Seland in 1960 with
cement and wire mesh: Height: 20 Feet (6.1 Metres) Length: 35 Feet (10.7 Metres)
Drumheller’s Little Church, built in 1968 by Trygve Seland,
between the Tyrrell Museum and the Golf Course –
11 Feet (3.4 Metres) long and 7 Feet (2.1 Metres) wide
It’s a steep descent with a fantastic view, driving into the Red Deer River Valley near Drumheller on Hwy. 9 from Calgary
The Rose Hip store in Rosebud
dents and no gas station, but Rosebud is
a vibrant arts community. Here you will
find the Rosebud Theatre, Alberta’s only
rural professional theatre with plays running from March to December. There is
also an arts school and plenty of live music around.
Albertans come to Rosebud from all
over the province, so there are plenty of
accommodation options – two campgrounds, a charming country inn and
five cozy B&Bs. The name Rosebud derives from the Blackfoot term Akokiniskway, meaning “river of many roses.”
Hot air balloons floating over Drumheller terrain
Participants at the Drumheller Stampede chuckwagon races held in July
Deep in the heart of the Canadian Badlands, in the ten miles from
Drumheller to the tiny village of Wayne,
there are 11 one-lane bridges over the
Rosebud Creek, each with a wooden
plank bed. Wayne was once a thriving
coal mining town of more than 3,000,
but now (depending on when you ask)
there are about 30 diehard souls.
Wayne was one of several communities of that sprang up with the area’s first
coal mine in 1912. But the coal mines
started closing down in the depression,
and the last one closed in 1957. Today,
the Rosedeer Hotel, built in 1913, is the
only structure remaining from the min-
ing days. Inside the Last Chance Saloon
you will find the walls covered with old
black and white photographs of Wayne
and the coal mines plus a collection of
mining gear.
On a clear day, from the tearoom
in Carbon, you can see the Rocky
Mountains. Carbon is located in Kneehill County along Hwy. 836, west of
Drumheller and northeast of Calgary.
Ranching, farming and coal mining were
the major activities of the early settlers.
The village was incorporated in 1912.
From the early 1900s to about 1960,
Drumheller was the Fort McMurray of
coal mining. 139 mines once operated in
this part of the Canadian Badlands. The
Atlas Coal Mine, now a National Historic Site, is the only one left.
There’s always friendly service in the Last Chance Saloon, at the Rosedeer Hotel in Wayne
East Coulee (a coulee is a river valley), home to Atlas Coal Mine, is another of the coal mining towns in the
Red Deer Valley east of Drumheller.
Its creepy wooden tipple is a favourite
Hallowe’en haunt, especially for families
with teenagers. The mine’s former bathhouse is just as creepy. Big meat hooks
attached to ropes on pulleys hang from
the ceiling. Miners once used these to
hang their street clothes on, high above
the coal dust.
The Village of Munson is north of
Drumheller along Hwy. 9. It is the loca-
Farm near Munson
tion of the Bleriot Ferry, which has been
taking passengers and vehicles of all sorts
across the Red Deer River since 1913.
Morrin is where you will find the
Pioneer Sod House. Built in 1980, the
sod house is a replica of homes that many
www.canadianbadlands.com
Town of Drumheller – www.dinosaurvalley.com Village of Rosebud – www.rosebud.ca
The Hamlet of Wayne – www.ghosttowns.com/canada/alberta/wayne.html
Atlas Coal Mine – www.atlascoalmine.ab.ca
Welcome to Wayne – population: then 2490, now 30
Rosebud is a popular destination for entertainment
Drumheller Rosebud Wayne Carbon East Coulee Munson Morrin Horseshoe Canyon Atlas Coal Mine