The Hasler Creek occurrence is located along Hasler Creek about 31 kilometres southwest of the community of Chetwynd.
The mine area lies from about 900 metres northwest of Hasler Creek to about 3000 metres southeast. Bedding dips from 10 to 45 degrees on the southwest limb and 50 to 80 degrees on the northeast. Two minor folds parallel the Pine River anticline and all three are cut by three reverse faults striking northwest and dipping steeply to the east.
Three coal seams intersected by drilling and exposed in trenches are within 75 metres of the top of the Lower Cretaceous Gething Formation. The Discovery seam averages 1.8 metres thick, and the Goodrich and Quarter seams average 1.2 metres thick. Analysis of a 200 ton bulk sample showed the coal contains 3.5 per cent ash, 0.5 percent sulphur and 74.1 per cent fixed carbon. The sample was described as good coking coal.
Drill inferred reserves with a minimum mining thickness of 1.2 metres are estimated at approximately 8 million short tons (Bulletin 36).
In 1939, George Goodrich operated a trap line starting at Commotion Creek where his homestead on the Pine River was located and noticed a coal outcropping at a cut bank around 14 kilometres up Hasler Creek from its junction with the Pine River. When the British Columbia Government started a test well in a search for oil in 1940, George hauled some coal from his discovery site for firing the steam boilers that at first had used only wood as fuel. Late in 1943, a man by the name of Sparks became interested in the possibilities for coal mining and was able to enlist several Edmonton businessmen. The coal seam they opened was lying at an angle of 22 degrees from the vertical and was parallel to another seam. The width of the seam was about 2.6 metres; outcroppings were located at elevations of over 152 metres above the adit. Later in December of 1943, the Hasler Creek Coal Company was incorporated to develop the discovery seam. During the winter of 1943-44, work was started to extend a road from the Commotion Creek well site at the end of the existing Government road through to the Johnson farm. Buildings were constructed for the miners’ accommodation and a small amount of coal was brought out.
In 1945, it was agreed that the provincial government would build a bridge over the Pine River west of Johnson’s, if the coal company would supply the coal. The coal is semi-anthracite with a very high percentage of fixed carbon (about 74 per cent), low ash and moisture. Some tests ran to 1500 BTU at the University of Alberta. At this time, the only market that seemed available was the Northern Alberta Railway, and the Hasler Creek Coal Company offered to supply quite a tonnage to them gratis for testing purposes. When these tests proved the coal to be from 35-50 per cent more efficient than the coal they had been using, they agreed to use it on the Division between Dawson Creek and McLennan. After taking out about 4082 tonnes, the railway decided to convert their locomotives to oil burners. In 1946, the company contract with the railway was terminated.
From the late 1960s to the 1990s the Hasler Mine was part of a large project area called the Pine Pass property, which followed the coal along strike from the Noman Creek area, through the current Willow Creek mine area, Falling Creek, Hasler mine area and extending southeast into Highhat Creek. These areas were explored extensively by many companies.
Samples of the coal had been taken to Pittsburgh and Montreal, where, in the latter case, the Research Department was trying to develop a motor that would use pulverized or powdered coal dust as fuel. These tests were not successful. As a result, without any market the mine had to be closed down (South Peace Historical Society, http://calverley.ca/article/12-001-j-gordon-wilson-enterprises-hasler-creek-coal/).
