Cadomin's name is an acronym for 'Canadian Dominion Mining',[6][7] and the community gives its name to the Cadomin Formation, which forms a nearby prominent outcrop.
Cadomin Recreation Centre 2011
Cadomin is one of many communities in the Alberta Coal Branch area that thrived from the 1920s to the 1950s. During the early 1930s, Cadomin's population peaked at 1,800.[8] Other Coal Branch communities included Mountain Park, Luscar, Mercoal, and farther to the east, Robb, Embarras, Coalspur, Coal Valley, Lovett, and Foothills.[9]
Mining
The Cadomin Coal Company began operations in 1917 and four underground mines were eventually developed, as well as a surface mine that operated from 1944 to 1950. The main coal seam, called the No. 1 Seam, averaged 33 feet (10 m) in thicknesses. The strata in the area are strongly folded and faulted, and the seam is strongly inclined to overturned, so a variety of methods were employed to work it.[10] The coal was sold primarily as steam coal for railroad use, and the Cadomin coal mines closed in 1952 due to declining markets as the railroads replaced steam locomotives with diesel.[11]
Cadomin Quarry, operated by the Lehigh Cement Company (formerly Inland Cement), continues to employ a small number of local residents.[12]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Cadomin had a population of 54 living in 27 of its 93 total private dwellings, a change of 35% from its 2016 population of 40. With a land area of 1.02 km2 (0.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 52.9/km2 (137.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Cadomin had a population of 40 living in 21 of its 92 total private dwellings, a change of 11.1% from its 2011 population of 36. With a land area of 1.02 km2 (0.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 39.2/km2 (101.6/sq mi) in 2016.[4]
Attractions
One of the many caves of Cadomin
Cadomin Cave, located several kilometres to the south, used to attract a number of tourists during the summer months, although it remains undeveloped. The caves have been closed since 2010 due to the fungus growth the bats developed.[26]
In the area around Cadomin, there are extensive trails for horse back riding, all-terrain vehicles and dirt biking. Mountain biking is becoming increasingly popular as well. Bird watching is a popular hobby, and there are also regular butterfly counts every year.
The scientific and naturalist communities spend a great deal of time studying the extensive wildlife including bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, moose, elk, and other mountain species.
The fall provides numerous big game hunting opportunities for deer, moose and bighorn sheep.
^Melnyk, N. 1942. Lower level operations in a thick steeply pitching seam at Cadomin Coal Mine, Cadomin, Alberta. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Transactions, vol. XLV, p. 208-223.
^Kyba, Daniel and Jane Ross (2001). Exploring the historic Coal Branch. Calgary, Alberta: Rocky Mountain Books, 336 p. ISBN0-921102-83-6.
^"Geographical Identification and Population for Unincorporated Places of 25 persons and over, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada(PDF). Supplementary Bulletins: Geographic and Demographic (Population of Unincorporated Places—Canada). Vol. Bulletin 8SG.1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1978. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
^1981 Census of Canada(PDF). Place name reference list. Vol. Western provinces and the Territories. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1983. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
