Here is the text from the sign:
Coal Mines of Beverly
1917-1944
Bush (Davidson) Coal Mine
Mine #707. Location: River Lots 38 and 40. Entrances west of 36th Street and south of 104 Avenue. Recorded production: (27 of 28 years, no production in 1919): 705,246 tons. Estimated average recovery: 57.5%. Estimated average thickness of coal mined: 4 feet 9 inches.
In 1912, Adam James (A.J.) Davidson purchased land and mineral rights along the bank of the North Saskatchewan River. He registered the Beverly Coal and Gravel Company Limited #707 in 1917 and began operations in October of that year. The first mine was a drift, a horizontal cut into the bank following a coal seam. It produced 1,365 tons and was closed after four months.
When the mine re-opened in 1920, as many as seven drifts were used to access a coal seam located above the river bed. Coal was loaded into coal cars and pulled to the top of the bank along a steel cable powered by a steam engine. On top of the bank, Davidson built a barn to house the mine horses and engine room. A chute was installed at the valley rim and one at the river. In the spring and fall, coal was sold from the top of the bank and at the river in the winter. In winter, a horse-drawn coal sleigh delivered coal to residents of Beverly and to customers in Edmonton.
The operation was successful from the start. Large quantities of coal were mined during the 1920 and 1921 seasons, and in 1923, a hoisting shaft was installed at the rim of the bank near 103rd Avenue and 36th Street. A tipple was built to hoist the coal out of the mine. It had screens to grade the coal and chutes to transfer coal to waiting trucks. An office building, weight scales, a boiler room, and a bunkhouse were added. The boiler provided the hot water for showers. To keep workers, Davidson enlisted the help of his daughter to cook meals for the miners.
In 1928, the mine was leased to Bush Mines Limited and Davidson went on to start a dairy business. By 1933, 100 and 200 foot longwall faces were operating, but the days of coal-heating were fading and by March 1944, the mine was closed for good. Subsequently, the area became a gravel pit. As a result of the gravel pit, the landscape has been significantly altered.