1

Maria Costello (Character representation)



Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

2

We were married a short while after we met. I was 15. We bought a small house and began our life together in Midlandvale. Nothing fancy, but it was what we wanted. Before I knew it I was a full fledged coal miners wife. Not an easy job by anyone's standards. There was laundry, cooking, cleaning, gardening, canning, shovelling coal, skinning rabbits... you name it, a coal miners wife can do it. As his wife, it was my job to make sure that I looked after the house and that it was comfortable my husband when he got home.

When we first moved in we didn't have much. We bought a kitchen table from a neighbour, a fine oak dining room table. It was beautiful. Unfortunately we had no chairs. But my husband John said it would be no problem and he knew where he could get something that we could use. The next day after work my husband came home with four wooden dynamite boxes. Now we would be able to sit and eat.

Living in a coal town the houses were very small. There is a reason behind keeping a small house. It took money to heat a house and to buy coal. The smaller your house the less it cost to heat. Our house was about 400 square feet and had three rooms. Two bedrooms and a common room that was used as the kitchen, dining room and living room all in one.

3

The Szabo family's home after a flood, with ice resting against it
1948?
Rosedale, Alberta


Credits:
The Szabo Family

4

As a woman you had to make your own life. I cooked cleaned and looked after the house. It kept my mind off of what might have happened at the mine.
In a coal town you don't see all the fancy stuff like you do in the cities. Most families were lucky if they could afford to put their own kids up. We had taken in a boarder for a little extra cash. Nine months later we had our first son...he slept in an apple box next to our bed.

5

Marion Powell standing beside fence
1945



Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

6

Having a new baby and a husband that was never around was tough. Luckily my neighbour, an older lady named Olga, helped me out a lot. She helped with everything from laundry to laughter. I couldn't have done it without her. One night Joseph our son was so sick, he had a terrible cough. Olga said that she had just the thing and went to her kitchen to whip up one of her home remedies. In no time at all she was back and had a rub made of mustard that she called a mustard plaster and said that I was to rub it on his chest and it would ease the congestion and coughing. So without question I did as she said and Joseph fell asleep in no time?I was relieved!

Once the baby was a little older I decided that I needed to supplement the family income. I started taking in laundry and cleaning houses for some of the miners around town. I also took in sewing when I could. Any extra money was a huge help for us. The slack season was right around the corner and I knew that my husband would be laid off for the summer, as he had been every year.

7

Kathleen Powell with her first baby, John, and their dog, Teddy.
1932
Drumheller, Alberta


Credits:
Douglas Powell