Sheerness, Alberta

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Sheerness is located in Alberta
Sheerness
Sheerness
Location of Sheerness Alberta

Sheerness is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada that is under the jurisdiction of the Special Areas Board.[1] Within Special Area No. 2,[2] it is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) east of Highway 36 and 102 kilometres (63 mi) north of Brooks.

Toponymy

Sheerness was named after a port town of the same name in Kent, England.[3] The name was selected by English settler George Crozier, whose wife served as the first postmaster of Alberta's Sheerness.[4][5]

History

Founding, railway and coal mining: 1905–1960

Around the year 1905, the area that today contains Sheerness was used for grazing by cattle ranchers.[6] One local history provides that a rancher searching for a potential well site struck coal while digging, which subsequently attracted mining operations to the area.[6]

The settlement developed quickly enough that a Sheerness post office began operating in May 1910, and Sheerness School opened in 1913.[4][5] A hardware store, pool hall, and boarding house were operating in the townsite by 1914.[4] Prior to the introduction of the railroad, coal was transported from Sheerness by horses and wagons.[4]

The Canadian National Railway built a railway line through the settlement in 1919, facilitating its growth.[6] A community hall was established in the 1920s to host social events for locals, including dances and concerts, and the Alberta Pacific Company began operating a Sheerness grain elevator in 1923.[4] During the late 1920s, Sheerness held a yearly stampede.[4]

Between 1943 and 1967 Sheerness' coal mines employed around 50 miners, producing up to 270,000 tons of coal a year.[6] At its peak in the early 1950s, Sheerness contained around 150 residents.[4] The Sheerness mine's largest contract was to supply the Saskatoon Power Plant with fuel.[6] In 1948, the grain elevator was purchased by the Alberta Wheat Pool.[4]

Decline and later energy-based economy: 1961–present

In 1961, Sheerness' grain elevator closed down; it was dismantled two years later.[4] Sheerness School closed in 1963, as a number of local schools were consolidated in Hanna.[4] When the Saskatoon Power Plant switched to natural gas fuel in 1969, Sheerness' coal operations declined, and much of its permanent population relocated to Hanna.[4][6] Other families moved due to the introduction of better highways in the area, which allowed them to commute.[4] Its post office closed in April 1970.[5]

Until 1975, Sheerness' mine opened only during the winter months to supply the local domestic market.[6] By 1976, however, demand for coal had increased enough that moderate operations restarted in the hamlet.[6] Nonetheless, Sheerness contained approximately four permanent families by this time.[6] Its now-disused community centre was dismantled in 1978.[4] As of 2025, nothing of the original Sheerness townsite remains.[3][6]

Sheerness Generating Station, photographed in 2010 while still operating with coal fuel.

Sheerness itself became the site of a power plant in 1986: Sheerness Generating Station.[7][8] The Sheerness mine provided the plant with coal until 2021, when the station converted to natural gas.[9][10]

Sheerness Coal Mine began winding down operations in 2015 as part of the Government of Alberta's climate change strategy.[11] At this time, the mine employed 200 workers, primarily from the nearby town of Hanna.[11] The announcement of the mine's impending closure was observed to have a negative effect on the mental health of workers, and also preceded a spike in domestic violence cases reported to the RCMP.[12] The mine closed in 2021.[13]

Economy

In 2021 Sheerness Coal Mine was repurposed into a soil amendment operation, selling naturally-occurring humalite found in the mine to agricultural buyers.[14][15][16] Also in 2024, construction began on Sheerness Industrial Park and Reservoir.[17] The project, completed in early 2025, created industrial lots across 320 acres of land, supported by a dedicated water reservoir.[18]

In December 2025 the Sheerness Generating Station announced that it would temporarily deactivate one generator beginning in April 2026, for a period of up to two years.[19]

Amenities

Sheerness Cooling Pond, a reservoir measuring two miles by two miles (3.2 by 3.2 kilometers) that cools the Sheerness Generating Station, is part of Prairie Oasis Park.[20][21] Visitors can bathe, participate in water-based sports, walk dogs, or access beaches on the pond's shores.[20]

Demographics

Nothing of the 20th century Sheerness townsite remains as of 2025, but the area contains several properties and agricultural operations.[3][6]

See also

References

  1. "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  2. "Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2006, Economic Regions: 4804004 – Special Area No. 2, geographical codes and localities, 2006". Statistics Canada. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. Alberta Culture (January 3, 2025). "Sheerness". Alberta Geographical Names Web Map. Text visible upon selecting the yellow circle. The locality was named for Sheerness, a seaport in Kent, England. A post office operated here from 1910 to 1970; George Crozier was the first postmaster. A primary reason for its survival for many years is the abundance of coal in its proximity. The name was approved in 1951.
  4. Gordon, Agnes, ed. (1978). Roads to Rose Lynn: a history of the Rose Lynn, Halladay, Sheerness, Stanmore, Scotfield, Richdale and Berry Creek areas. Rose Lynn, Alberta: Rose Lynn Book Club. pp. 94, 103, 286, 319, 325, 380, 405, 459 – via University of Calgary.
  5. Canada, Library and Archives (November 25, 2016). "Sheerness Archives / Post Offices and Postmasters". recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  6. Fryer, Harold (1976). Ghost towns of Alberta. Langley, B.C: Stagecoach Pub. Co. pp. 70–73. ISBN 978-0-88983-004-2.
  7. "Sheerness". TransAlta. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  8. POWER (August 1, 2022). "Station Life Extension Through Coal-to-Gas Conversion". POWER Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  9. "Sheerness Generating Station". Canadian Power. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  10. Chostner, Maeghan (October 24, 2022). "Special Areas tours converted Sheerness Generating Station". hannaherald. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  11. Cruickshank, Nora (January 31, 2017). "Hanna: How one Alberta town is using its history to survive coal crisis". Calgary Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  12. Ciccarelli, Rick; Lior, Karen; Shallhorn, Steve (February 2, 2022). "When Coal Plants Shut Down". ourtimes.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  13. Irwin, Jackie (January 13, 2021). "End of an era as mine set to close". Hanna Herald. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  14. Miller, Sarah (February 17, 2021). "Alberta Mine Product on the Forefront of Farm Productivity". Discover Humboldt. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  15. Kolafa, Pat (November 23, 2024). "Mine at Sheerness retooled for emerging ag industry product". Drumheller Mail. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  16. "WestMET Ag Transforms Coal Mine to Prairieland". January 12, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  17. Gutsche, Candace (June 5, 2024). "Harvest Sky Region Busy with Canada Coal Transition Initiative Infrastructure Projects this Summer – Special Areas Board". Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  18. Government of Alberta. "Sheerness Industrial Park". majorprojects.alberta.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  19. Harris, Ben (December 18, 2025). "TransAlta Provides Notice to Mothball Sheerness Unit 1". TransAlta. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  20. Milner, Marie (February 28, 2014). "RVers favour Alberta's Prairie Oasis Park". www.rvwest.com. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  21. Cooper, Nathan (August 16, 2017). "The things we take for granted". The Capital. Retrieved February 9, 2026.

51°29′21″N 111°40′44″W / 51.48917°N 111.67889°W / 51.48917; -111.67889 (Sheerness)