Wikipedia
Elkford is a district municipality in the southeast region of the Canadian Province of British Columbia in the Rocky Mountain range, with a population of about 2,500. It is 32 km north of the junction at Sparwood, on provincial Highway 43. Outdoor recreational activities take place at Elkford throughout the year.
The town and area has many kilometers of horse riding, hiking, snowmobiling and cross country ski trails, and a ski hill, Wapiti, run by Elkford resident volunteers. The Elkford Aquatic Centre has a competition-size pool, hot tub and sauna.
There are two public schools Rocky Mountain Elementary School and Elkford Secondary School with a combined student population of 400 in January 2006.
There are 5 open-pit coal mines within an hour's drive of Elkford: Fording River Operations (FRO), Greenhills Operations (GHO), Line Creek Operations (LCO), Elkview Operations (EVO) and Coal Mountain Operations (CMO). All mines belong to Teck Resources. Elkford was created, due to mining activity, in the early 1970s. Many Elkford residents work for the mines or as contractors; other residents work in service industries directly related to the mines.
A coal seam close to Aldridge Creek, north of Elkford, has been burning for decades.1