Welcome to Wayne, population then 2490, now 27.
Coal once dominated these hills, which is evidenced by the number of ghost towns in the Drumheller area. Wayne is one such abandoned coal-mining town. The town’s original name was Rosedeer, named after the Rose Deer Mine (#347) that operated from 1912 until 1934.
This little ghost town was a pleasant surprise. We planned on spending 30-minutes wandering a few empty buildings as a quick roadside attraction; however, we ended up spending our whole morning exploring the ghost town and surrounding hills.
In its heyday, there were multiple coal mines in Wayne, Alberta: Hamilton coal mine, Jewel Mine, Ideal Coal Mine, and the well known Rose-Deer coal mine. Here is Wayne as it appeared in its mining days.
Glenbow Archives Image No: NA-479-51. Title: Commercial coal mine, Wayne, Alberta. Date: [ca. 1919-1923]
Here is Wayne as it appeared in October 2010.
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–> GPS Coordinates: 51.382797,-112.658535
–> Google Map: Uniquely Alberta Google Map
–> Cost: Free
–> Season: All year round.
Kid Rating: 4.5 out of 5 because I really enjoyed climbing the rocks and hills. There were lots of neat things to explore; I really liked looking at the grasshoppers and crickets. I wished we could find the secret graveyard, but finding abandoned buildings and thrown away things was neat. I like things with the word ghost in them.
Adult Rating: 4 out of 5 because it was such a pleasant surprise. It was so quiet and peaceful; we could move at our own pace. There were all kinds of secrets in every little nook and cranny and the scenery was simply beautiful.
Neat stuff.
We visited Wayne, Alberta years ago because my boyfriend’s name is Wayne. Gotta do it, eh? His brother mentioned that while we were visiting him in Calgary that Wayne, the community, was holding a Harley Davidson get together. This small community turned into a small city over the span of a couple of days.
I love this place. Still do. It is a quick and interesting getaway from the city.
I was born and raised in Calgary. In my early teens, I was a keen rock collector and my parents took me to the Drumheller area several times. After I grew up, my fascination with the Drumheller area continued and I even took my daughters to see all the sites. Now a grand pa, my interest has focused, for obvious reasons, on the two towns, Wayne just south of Drumheller and Munson, just to the north of Drumheller. I now collect pins and patches and any other item with their names on them. I just find it intriguing that two small places, not far apart, bare my full name. And are places that I have had a connection with all my life. I enjoy reading about their history and visiting them regularly.
Wayne Munson