"PENITENTIARY SALE TO YIELD MILLION," Daily British Whig (Kingston, Ont.). September 27, 1920. Page 1. ---- Edmonton Institution Stood On Top of a Valuable Coal Deposit. ---- Ottawa, Sept. 27. - The dominion of Canada is expected to profit handsomely by the sale of the Edmonton penitentiary reserve, which contains valuable coal mining property, and which, it is stated, is soon to be offered for sale. An order-in-council gazetted this week gives formal notice that the tract of land established as a penitentiary to Alberta on July 20th 1006. shall cease to be a penitentiary from and after Sept. 1st. 1920. The penitentiary property at Prince Albert, Sask., becomes the penitentiary for the provinces of AIberta and Saskatchewan, and shall continue to be designated as Saskatchewan penitentiary.
The lands contained in the Alberta tract are in the heart of the city of Edmonton, and a valuation of more than one million dollars has been placed upon them, The surface rights have been sought by the city of Edmonton and others, and the mining rights have also been the subject of offers to the government at various times.
For sometime coal has been mined in the penitentiary reserveе, and this has been used for heating the Edmonton penitentiary, as well as the Saskatchewan institution and other public buildings. It is stated that the vein of coal so far uncovered is only the beginning of a valuable deposit, and that a much more important supply of fuel lies beneath that which is now being mined. Several mining companies are stated to been made offers for the mineral rights on the properly, which was purchased for a low price by the dominion government in 1906.