Tucked away in a narrow valley in the rugged Rocky Mountains, the town of Fernie has a unique and colorful history.
Coal mining
The town was born when a prospector noticed black and shiny stones in a necklace worn by an Indian Chief’s daughter — it was coal. The chief agreed to reveal the source of these stones if the prospector agreed to marry his daughter. When the prospector reneged on his wedding proposal the angered chief put a curse of fire, flood and famine on the valley, but this didn’t stop Fernie from prospering. From coal, and through the 1920s it added to its wealth by smuggling whiskey into prohibition America.
The curse was finally lifted in 1964 and today it is an atmospheric town rich in history, with abandoned mines, museums and heritage sites letting visitors step back in time to the beautiful Elk Valley’s past.
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Places near Fernie
- Waterton Lakes National Park 60 miles away
- Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump 65 miles away
- The Purcell Mountains 67 miles away
- Claresholm 76 miles away
- The Kootenays 110 miles away
- Canmore 110 miles away
- Calgary 116 miles away
- Banff 118 miles away
- Yoho National Park 141 miles away
- Lake Louise 142 miles away
- Field 145 miles away
- Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park 158 miles away
- Dinosaur Provincial Park 181 miles away
- Naramata & Okanagan Valley 204 miles away
- Sun Peaks 235 miles away
- The Cariboo 264 miles away
- Jasper 268 miles away
- Edmonton 287 miles away
Photos of Fernie
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![The Three Sister Mountains, near Fernie, British Columbia]()
The Three Sister Mountains, near Fernie, British Columbia -
![Fernie, Canada]()
Fernie, Canada
