Jenn Balderston, Visitor Services Manager, and long-time volunteer Bob Moffat, of the Atlas Coal Mine. Moffat, 78, is a fifth-generation miner who will be guiding tours for the 2015 tourist season at the Atlas.
The Atlas Coal Mine is looking forward to the upcoming tourist season with great anticipation after two record-setting years of visitor numbers.
“2015 is going to be a really exciting year for us. We found that 2013 and especially 2014, we were running at capacity and then over capacity.” said the Atlas’ Visitor Services Manager Jenn Balderston.
“2013 was our best year to date, it’s crazy, but great, we were able to beat that.”
Balderston said the Atlas welcomed 37,264 visitors in 2014, which was an increase of 1.73 per cent over the previous year.
And the Mine’s Haunted Atlas this year was their best yet, raising double the revenue of 2013, making just under $23,000 for the tipple restoration project, notes Balderston.
This drawing of the Atlas Coal Mine's wooden tipple shows required work as assessed by timber restoration specialists Mcdonald & Lawrence.
The National Historic Site has made some changes to the way visitors will be able to experience the former coal mine, starting the first opening day of tourist season in May.
The general admission fee bumps up a couple of dollars but now includes the train tour, and at the top end of the site admission price tier, Balderston said will be specialized tours for groups of five to ten people.
Long-time volunteer and Atlas treasure Bob Moffat will also be guiding tours this season.
Moffat is a fifth generation coal miner who worked the local mines during his earlier years in the Drumheller area.
“There’s not a lot of miners left. Bob’s an incredible storyteller. He gets to share his life first hand with the visitors,” said Balderston.
The Atlas also wants to bring in special attractions such as pony days on long weekends, with kids being provided rides in coal cars made by inmates at the Drumheller Institution.
Balderston said the Atlas will also have roving tour guides, and aims to provide talks every hour to visitors in order to better share more of the mine’s story.
Previously guests only interacted with guides if they took one of the mine’s guided tours.
The Atlas is also looking into offering what Balderston calls a collections tour, which would take a small group on a behind-the-scenes look at the historic site’s collecting, archiving and storage of mining artifacts, memorabilia, and information.
Highlights for the Atlas for 2014, Balderston lists as the community engagement of everyone who came together to make the year a success for the coal mine, the addition of Executive Director Julia Fielding to replace Linda Digby, the first phase of the wooden tipple restoration by Macdonald & Lawrence, restoration experts out of B.C, and the higher attendance numbers.
Balderston said the mine’s been fortunate to see the growth it’s had, and cites word-of-mouth, including social media, and continued interest from being profiled on The Amazing Race Canada in 2013 as helping bring more visitors to the mine in 2014.
And all of the changes they’re making, explains Balderston, are designed to increase visitors, help lower burden on staff, and make for an improved experience for visitors.
“We pretty much took the book, threw it out, and started to rewrite it.”
