08/31/2026
A FAMILY LEGACY IN COAL
At Atlas, we often meet visitors with personal and family connections to the coal mines of the Drumheller Valley.
Gary Wakaruk recently returned to Atlas after 10 years, standing alongside a piece of his family’s history—the Sullivan Iron Clad Undercutter.
Gary’s father, George Wakaruk, was a mine manager and owner of the Cozy Coal Mine. In 2015, the Wakaruk family generously donated the machinery to Atlas. George was 94 years old when the machine was donated.
Today, the Sullivan Iron Clad Undercutter remains at Atlas, helping preserve the legacy of the Wakaruk family and the Valley’s coal-mining history.