Cumberland, B.C., was built on coal — literally.
Built in the 1890s atop one of the richest coalfields in coastal British Columbia, the ground below the village’s downtown is criss-crossed with hundreds of now-flooded mining tunnels.
John SnyderMine opponents began organizing almost as soon as the project was announced
Many of Cumberland’s 3,000 people live in small wooden homes originally built as miner’s cottages. The village’s main drag, Dunsmuir St., is named after a 19th century coal baron. The waterway running through town is called Coal Creek and adorably, Cumberland’s benches are even made to look like wooden coal cars.
Photo: Cumberland Chinatown 1888-1968 by Orin Blomberg