In the early days of Banff National Park, logging and mining activities were actually allowed to take place, largely due to the influence of the railroad and its great hunger for coal.

Most of the coal mining stopped around the 1920s, but there are some remains of the towns that grew up because of them still around today. One such town is Bankhead, were visitors to the park can walk around and view some of the old mining facilities, all while getting some fantastic views of Cascade mountain and the Fairholme range.