Bellevue Travel Guide

Welcome to Bellevue, Alberta

Intertwined with the town of Hillcrest, Bellevue has experienced its fair share of excitement. In its early years, several coal mines operating nearby intermittently survived through strikes, accidents and market crashes, while the town endured floods, fires and an uncertain future. The dark corridors of the Bellevue Mine, which operated from 1903 to 1957, are now eerily silent, a testament to the lives it both supported and took away. The mine's most deadly year was 1910, when an explosion killed 31 men. Tales conjuring images of the Wild West make up Bellevue's history, with the most memorable event occurring in 1920. Three train-robbers boarded the local Canadian Pacific Railway train hoping to find – and hold up– Blairmore's mayor and wealthy rum-runner Emilio “Emperor Pic” Picariello, a bold crime spree that ended in a bloody shoot-out at the Bellevue Cafe several days later. The town has persevered into the 21st century, and its picturesque streets are lined with century-old houses, likely occupied by relatives of its very first residents.