Royal Canadian Mint honours Black History Month by recognizing Amber Valley settlers

The Royal Canadian Mint's 2024 Commemorating Black History: Amber Valley Fine Silver Coin (CNW Group/Royal Canadian Mint)

The Royal Canadian Mint is honouring the community of Amber Valley, Alta., as part of their ongoing fine silver coin series, “Commemorating Black History.”

Released in conjunction with Black History Month, the $20 fine silver coin celebrates the legacy of the men and women who built one of Western Canada's earliest Black settlements.

“The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to contribute to the national celebration of Canada's Black History Month through a continuing series of silver collector coins that captures important stories that define our shared heritage,” said Marie Lemay, president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.

The town was founded in 1910 by Black families from Oklahoma, Texas and other U.S. states, seeking a life away from U.S. segregationist laws, racial hostility and violence. They journeyed to Northern Alberta in response to Canada’s offer of free land in the Canadian west. By 1910, approximately 300 men, women and children carved out a new life in a thriving community, renamed Amber Valley in 1931.

“I appreciate the recognition this coin represents,” said Myrna Wisdom, historian and co-founder of The Black Settlers of Alberta and Saskatchewan Historical Society. “The Black settlers of Amber Valley are indeed deserving of this recognition, which includes both my paternal and maternal grandparents, as well as my parents.”

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The Royal Canadian Mint said the reverse design of the coin, which is 99.99 per cent pure silver, is by artist Valentine De Landro. It’s based on an imagined scene of a homesteader family arriving in Pine Creek, Alta. in 1909 and peering over the land that would become Amber Valley. The design also includes a map outline of Alberta, enhanced by maple leaves. The lower portion depicts a wagon train of settlers completing their long journey from the southern U.S.

“For the composition, I needed to find a balance between what I thought were two prevailing characteristics: the journey and the community,” said De Landro. “The pioneering imagery was essential to communicating the spirit of Amber Valley, crossing through harsh terrain to reach a virtually unknown destination and to begin a legacy centred on the goal of a better life for their family.”