The North Western Coal and Navigation Company, also known as Alberta Railway and Coal Company or Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, was a coal mining company formed in London, England, in 1882 by
Galt International Depot, originally at the border crossing at Coutts, Alberta/Sweetgrass, Montana. The depot was moved in 1999 to the Galt Historic Railway Park at Stirling, Alberta.
Construction of the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District flume across the Oldman River
William Stafford was a coal mining engineer and mine superintendent for the North Western Coal and Navigation Company who was responsible for determining the location of the City of Lethbridge, Albert
North Western Coal and Navigation Company
…Territories. It was based in Lethbridge, Alberta, with his son Elliott Torrance Galt managing day-to-day operations. The company's superintendent was William Stafford. Money for this company came from a consortium of investors from Canada, England, and the United States. NWC&NC built the steamboat Baroness along with…
William Stafford, courtesy of the Galt Museum & Archives