Bellevue, Alberta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bellevue
Maple Leaf
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Former village
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Bellevue Underground Mine museum
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 Bellevue
Location in the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass
Bellevue
Location in Alberta
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Specialized municipality | Crowsnest Pass |
| Village | January 1, 1957 |
| Amalgamation | January 1, 1979 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| Area
(2021)
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| • Land | 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi) |
| Population
(2021)
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| • Total | 911 |
| • Density | 302.2/km2 (783/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
Bellevue (/ˈbɛlvjuː/) is an urban community perched 4,280 feet (1,305 m) elevation in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a village prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass.
Unlike some of the other communities in Crowsnest Pass, which relied on a single coal mine, Bellevue benefitted from the proximity of several successful mines and persist today despite setbacks from fire, strikes, mine accidents and fluctuations in the coal market.
History
Bellevue was founded in 1905 on the flat land above the Bellevue Mine operated by the French-based West Canadian Collieries (WCC). Its post office opened in 1907. The naming of the town is credited to Elsie Fleutot, the young daughter of one of WCC’s French Canadian principals, Jules J. Fleutot, after she exclaimed “Quelle belle vue!” (What a beautiful view!). In 1909 the Maple Leaf Coal Company commenced operations at the Mohawk Bituminous Mine and constructed the settlement of Maple Leaf adjacent to Bellevue. In 1913 WCC transferred many workers to Bellevue from its closed Lille operations. WCC displayed a five-ton coal boulder at the 1910 Dominion Exhibition in Calgary.
This period of growth was not without setbacks. An explosion in the Bellevue Mine during a partial afternoon shift on December 9th, 1910 killed 30 miners. In 1917 a fire destroyed most of Bellevue’s business section, followed by smaller fires in 1921 and 1922. A shanty-town called Bush town, or Il Bosc, below Bellevue was flooded in 1923 but persisted for several years.
West Canadian Collieries opened the Adanac Mine at Byron Creek in 1945, but by 1957 all of the Bellevue area mines were closed. The tipple at Bellevue continued to process coal from WCC’s Grassy Mountain open-pit, but was removed in 1962 after that operation closed. These closures caused a critical reduction in Bellevue's tax base.
Bellevue finally incorporated into a village in 1957. The realignment of Highway 3 in the 1970s led to a decline of Bellevue’s business section, although the residential areas continued to thrive. Following amalgamation of five local school districts in 1966, Bellevue joined four other local communities in amalgamation into the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in 1979 which restored a measure of financial stability, and Bellevue continues to thrive today.
Demographics
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In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bellevue had a population of 911 living in 445 of its 555 total private dwellings, a change of 5.2% from its 2016 population of 866. With a land area of 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi), it had a population density of 302.7/km2 (784/sq mi) in 2021.
