1969
Grande Cache Tourism and Interpretive Centre
The coal mine started operating in 1969 as the McIntyre Coal Mine. The town of Grande Cache was established in 1969 to house the mine workers and to service their needs. Over the intervening years, as the coal market has gone from boom to bust and back, the coal mine has opened and closed several times and changed ownership. For a period, it was known as the Smoky River Coal Company. Most recently, it has been the Grande Cache Coal Company. In February 2017, the Grande Cache Coal declared bankruptcy. The coal mined in Grande Cache is metallurgical coal – used primarily for making steel. Most of the coal is shipped to Asian markets.