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.
