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Grande Cache
Grande Cache is a hamlet in West-Central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately 145 kilometres (90 mi) northwest of Hinton and 435 kilometres (270 mi) west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Smoky River, is at the northern edge of Alberta's Rockies, and serves as a gateway to the Willmore Wilderness Park. The hamlet held town status prior to 2019.
The New Town of Grande Cache was incorporated on September 1, 1966. The purpose of creating a new town was to open the area for the development of coal mines. New town status allowed the town to use the Government of Alberta as a guarantor for debt.
Construction of Grande Cache began in 1969. By 1971 a hospital, schools, stores, and the first homes were built.
Grande Cache received town status on September 1, 1983.
The community suffered a boom-bust cycle due to the dependence on a single employer that depended on a single commodity: coal. In an attempt to diversify the economy additional industries were encouraged to develop in the area. This included a wood chip plant and a federal prison operated by the Correctional Service of Canada. In recent years, wilderness tourism is an increasing industry.
Coal has been pivotal to Grande Cache's history. The British Coal Board established a large mine in 1966 to produce metallurgical coal which was used in Japanese coke ovens to provide the carbon input for steel production. It is important to note that Grande Cache's coal typically was not intended for power generation due to its low volatiles content. According to the NY Times in 1971: "Japanese steel makers, or their customers, are paying the relocation costs of miners who have come to Grande Cache from Nova Scotia's fading Cape Breton coal mines, from the dying wheat hamlets of Saskatchewan, from Utah and Montana mines and from South Korea, Japan, West Germany, the Netherlands and Britain."
In September 2018, Grande Cache's Town Council determined that, due to a reduction in population and the subsequent loss in tax revenue, the town was no longer financially sustainable. On September 25, 2018, town residents voted to dissolve the town into a hamlet under the jurisdiction of the Municipal District (MD) of Greenview No. 16. Out of 1,100 ballots cast in the vote, 1,065 were votes in favour of dissolution, 32 were in favour of remaining a town, and 3 ballots were rejected. The dissolution came into effect on January 1, 2019, rendering Grande Cache a hamlet in the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16.
The hamlet is built on a plateau that is just below the subalpine level of the Rocky Mountains. The town site is surrounded by three valleys: to the north is the Smoky River; to the west is the Sulphur River; to the south is Victor Lake and Grande Cache Lake. To the east of town is Grande Mountain.
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Grande Cache
Grande Cache is a hamlet in West-Central Alberta, Canada within and administered by the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. It is located on Highway 40 approximately 145 kilometres (90 mi) northwest of Hinton and 435 kilometres (270 mi) west of Edmonton. Grande Cache overlooks the Smoky River, is at the northern edge of Alberta's Rockies, and serves as a gateway to the Willmore Wilderness Park. The hamlet held town status prior to 2019.
The New Town of Grande Cache was incorporated on September 1, 1966. The purpose of creating a new town was to open the area for the development of coal mines. New town status allowed the town to use the Government of Alberta as a guarantor for debt.
Construction of Grande Cache began in 1969. By 1971 a hospital, schools, stores, and the first homes were built.
Grande Cache received town status on September 1, 1983.
The community suffered a boom-bust cycle due to the dependence on a single employer that depended on a single commodity: coal. In an attempt to diversify the economy additional industries were encouraged to develop in the area. This included a wood chip plant and a federal prison operated by the Correctional Service of Canada. In recent years, wilderness tourism is an increasing industry.
Coal has been pivotal to Grande Cache's history. The British Coal Board established a large mine in 1966 to produce metallurgical coal which was used in Japanese coke ovens to provide the carbon input for steel production. It is important to note that Grande Cache's coal typically was not intended for power generation due to its low volatiles content. According to the NY Times in 1971: "Japanese steel makers, or their customers, are paying the relocation costs of miners who have come to Grande Cache from Nova Scotia's fading Cape Breton coal mines, from the dying wheat hamlets of Saskatchewan, from Utah and Montana mines and from South Korea, Japan, West Germany, the Netherlands and Britain."
In September 2018, Grande Cache's Town Council determined that, due to a reduction in population and the subsequent loss in tax revenue, the town was no longer financially sustainable. On September 25, 2018, town residents voted to dissolve the town into a hamlet under the jurisdiction of the Municipal District (MD) of Greenview No. 16. Out of 1,100 ballots cast in the vote, 1,065 were votes in favour of dissolution, 32 were in favour of remaining a town, and 3 ballots were rejected. The dissolution came into effect on January 1, 2019, rendering Grande Cache a hamlet in the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16.
The hamlet is built on a plateau that is just below the subalpine level of the Rocky Mountains. The town site is surrounded by three valleys: to the north is the Smoky River; to the west is the Sulphur River; to the south is Victor Lake and Grande Cache Lake. To the east of town is Grande Mountain.