Bellevue, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Bellevue is an urban community 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, despite setbacks from fire, strikes, mine accidents and fluctuations in the coal market, persisted as a successful community to the present day.
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, and elected Alberta's first female mayor. 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.
's train No. 63 at gunpoint, hoping to find wealthy rum-runner Emilio “Emperor Pic” Picariello aboard. Eluding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, the Alberta Provincial Police
and the CPR Police, Auloff escaped into the United States while Bassoff and Arkoff remained in the area. On August 7 the two were spotted in the Bellevue Café. Three constables entered the café through the front and back doors, and in the ensuing shootout Arkoff, RCMP Constable Ernest Usher and APP Constable F.W.E. Bailey were killed while Bassoff, though wounded, escaped into the rubble of the Frank Slide
. During the pursuit, Special Constable Nicolas Kyslik was accidentally shot and killed by another officer. Bassoff was eventually apprehended without incident on August 11th at Pincher Station, 35 kilometres to the east.
Although testimony suggests that the police officers had failed to identify themselves and had probably fired first, Bassoff was found guilty of murder and hanged in Lethbridge, Alberta on December 22, 1920.
Ausby Auloff was captured in 1924 near Butte, Montana
after trying to sell a distinctive railway watch. Auloff, who had not been involved in the shootout, was returned to Alberta where he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, and died in 1926.
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass
Crowsnest Pass
Crowsnest Pass is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border.-Geography:...
in southwest Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. 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, despite setbacks from fire, strikes, mine accidents and fluctuations in the coal market, persisted as a successful community to the present day.
History
Bellevue was founded in 1905 on the flat land above the Bellevue Mine operated by West Canadian Collieries. The naming of the town is credited to Elsie Fleutot, the young daughter of one of WCC’s French 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, Alberta.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, and elected Alberta's first female mayor. 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
Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass is a specialized municipality located in the Crowsnest Pass of the Rocky Mountains in southwest Alberta, Canada. The municipality formed as a result of the amalgamation of five municipalities – the Village of Bellevue, the Town of Blairmore, Town of Coleman, the...
in 1979 which restored a measure of financial stability, and Bellevue continues to thrive today.
Bellevue Café shootout
On August 2, 1920 local miners George Arkoff, Ausby Auloff and Tom Bassoff robbed the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
's train No. 63 at gunpoint, hoping to find wealthy rum-runner Emilio “Emperor Pic” Picariello aboard. Eluding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, the Alberta Provincial Police
Alberta Provincial Police
The Alberta Provincial Police was a police force active in Alberta, Canada between 1917 and 1932. In 1917, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police left Alberta due to a lack of sufficient resources in light of its increased responsibilities for national security during World War I...
and the CPR Police, Auloff escaped into the United States while Bassoff and Arkoff remained in the area. On August 7 the two were spotted in the Bellevue Café. Three constables entered the café through the front and back doors, and in the ensuing shootout Arkoff, RCMP Constable Ernest Usher and APP Constable F.W.E. Bailey were killed while Bassoff, though wounded, escaped into the rubble of the Frank Slide
Frank Slide
The Frank Slide is a natural landslide feature in the southern Rocky Mountains of Canada, and a significant historical event in western Canada.Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta...
. During the pursuit, Special Constable Nicolas Kyslik was accidentally shot and killed by another officer. Bassoff was eventually apprehended without incident on August 11th at Pincher Station, 35 kilometres to the east.
Although testimony suggests that the police officers had failed to identify themselves and had probably fired first, Bassoff was found guilty of murder and hanged in Lethbridge, Alberta on December 22, 1920.
Ausby Auloff was captured in 1924 near Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
after trying to sell a distinctive railway watch. Auloff, who had not been involved in the shootout, was returned to Alberta where he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, and died in 1926.