In June 1914, the small town of Hillcrest, Alberta, was shattered by Canada’s deadliest coal mining disaster. An underground explosion ripped through the Hillcrest Mine, killing 189 men in an instant and leaving families devastated just weeks before the outbreak of World War I. The tragedy exposed the dangers of early mining practices and the fragile lives of immigrant workers who powered Canada’s growing industries. More than a century later, Hillcrest remains a somber reminder of sacrifice, loss, and the cost of progress.