Martin Nordegg

The son of Moritz Cohn, a Jewish rabbi, and Auguste Cohn, Martin Cohn was born in Reichenbach, Silesia (current-day Dzierżoniów, Poland), which was then part of the North German Confederation. He received a classical education before joining the military. He was discharged in 1894 after suffering an injury to his arm.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=36}} Moving to Berlin, Martin studied photochemistry under the direction of Professor Hermann Wilhelm Vogel at the Gewerbe Institut.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=36–37}}

Martin began working for Georg W. Büxenstein at the Georg Büxenstein & Company Photochemigraphical Institute, a printing firm.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=7}} The two men would eventually become close business partners. While working at the institute, Martin met Colonel Onésiphore-Ernest Talbot,{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=5}} a Canadian Member of Parliament, who was impressed by Martin. Talbot suggested that he should to come to Canada to invest during the rapid colonization of the West.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=7}} Martin consulted Büxenstein, and Martin was provided with $60,000 by German investors to travel to Canada to discover a profitable venture.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=9}}

On 1 May 1906, Martin arrived in Ottawa to meet with Colonel Talbot.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=11}} Martin was introduced to Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, who suggested that Martin should invest in mining.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=12–13}} After failing to discover nickel in Northern Ontario, Martin set his sights westward and decided to look for coal in the Canadian Rockies.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=34}}

Along with geologist Donaldson Bogart Dowling (D. B. Dowling) of the Geological Survey of Canada and Stuart Kidd, Martin journeyed from Morley, Alberta to the North Saskatchewan River Corridor via the Pipestone Pass. The mining expedition discovered coal by the Bighorn{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=70–71}} and South Brazeau (now Blackstone){{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=72}} Rivers. Martin, who knew virtually nothing about geology or coal mining in Canada, learned quickly from his friend Dowling.

Martin took a coal sample from the South Brazeau field back to Germany with him to show to his investors.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924.|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=75, 79}} Büxenstein suggested they consult an expert on coal, Professor Potonié of the Berlin Academy of Mining.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=80}} Martin's meeting with Potonié was a disaster. After claiming that he had discovered coal in the Canadian Rockies, Martin was surprised when the professor adamantly pronounced this to be impossible. According to the professor, the Rocky Mountains were Cretaceous and therefore could not possibly contain coal. Potonié pronounced Martin a liar, and Martin dashed out of the room to get away from the incensed professor, who threw the lump of coal at him.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=80–82}} Professor Potonié was later persuaded to visit Canada to examine the supposed coalfields for himself. He was proven wrong and forced to concede the existence of coal in the Rocky Mountains.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=88}} In 1909, the company Brazeau Collieries Ltd. was established,{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=142}} named after the South Brazeau River, where they planned to eventually construct a coal mine and community.

In 1909, Martin Cohn legally changed his surname to Nordegg, which roughly means "north corner" in German. The next year, while hunting by a lake (later named Fish Lake) near the North Saskatchewan River, Martin noticed black, lateral striations in the hillside. Upon further examination, it turned out to be coal.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=154–155}} This was quite a discovery for the non-geologist; in fact, two other geologists, D. B. Dowling and James McEvoy, had passed by the coal field numerous times without discovering it.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=166}} They were very surprised when Martin showed it to them. Impressed with Martin, Dowling declared, "We will name it 'The Nordegg Coal Basin' ".{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=166}} It was later decided that this coalfield should be the first to be developed, due to its closer proximity to Rocky Mountain House than the other fields. By 1912, coal mining operations had commenced.

With the completion of the railway between Rocky Mountain House and the mine, the community of Nordegg was established in 1914. One of Martin's business partners, William MacKenzie, named the community in his honour to commemorate the work he did in developing the mine and community.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=193}} On 28 July 1914, World War I began. Martin began to be viewed with suspicion due to his German ancestry. On 4 June 1915, Martin left Nordegg by request of the Canadian government and spent the remainder of the war in exile in the United States.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=218–219}} After the war ended, Martin attempted to re-establish himself in Nordegg. However, Donald Mann and the Lazard Brothers, board members in Brazeau Collieries, voted him out of the company, despite William MacKenzie's wish to reinstate Martin in his former position.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=236–237}} Martin therefore sold all the German shares in the company and moved on to live in Ottawa, where he worked closely with the Canadian government to help newcomers get established in Canada.{{Cite book|title=The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906-1924|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=MacMillan of Canada|year=1971|location=Toronto|pages=240}} In particular, Martin helped refugees escaping the Nazis before the Second World War get financial footing in North America.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=351}}

While doing sales for Georg Büxenstein in England, Martin met his future first wife, Berthe-Marie Brand, in May 1897.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=42}} On 15 December 1897, the two married after discovering that Berthe-Marie was pregnant. Their only child, Marcelle Florence Cohn, was born on 20 July of the next year.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=44}} Happy together for the first few years, their relationship eventually deteriorated as Berthe-Marie's health declined while Martin simultaneously abandoned her for his ventures in Canada.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=259}}

In 1917, while seeing a play in New York City with Berthe-Marie and his daughter, Marcelle, Martin became captivated with one of the female performers.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=214–215}} Her name was Sonia Marcelle (an intentional corruption of her original surname, Meisel).{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Koch|first=W.|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=226}} Martin eventually married Sonia, shortly after his first wife, Berthe-Marie, passed away on 5 July 1924.{{Cite book|title=Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant|last=Nordegg|first=Martin|publisher=Brightest Pebble Pub. Co.|year=1997|isbn=978-0969966951|pages=266, 273}} Martin and Sonia moved to New York City in 1937. After surviving a heart attack, Martin's health deteriorated, and he died on 13 September 1948.{{Cite book|title=Small moments in time: the story of Alberta's Big West country|last=Belliveau |first= Anne |publisher=Detselig Enterprises Ltd|year=1999|isbn=1-55059-178-9|location=Calgary|pages=126}}

• 1930: The fuel problem of Canada
• 1971: The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906–1924
• 1995: To the Town that Bears Your Name: A Young Woman's Journey to Nordegg in 1912

{{Reflist}}

Belliveau, Anne (1999). Small moments in time: the story of Alberta's Big West country. Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd, 238 p. {{ISBN|1-55059-178-9}}.

Koch, W. John (1997): Martin Nordegg: The uncommon immigrant. Brightest Pebble Pub. Co. {{ISBN|978-0969966951}}

Nordegg, Martin (1971). The Possibilities of Canada Are Truly Great: Memoirs 1906–1924. Toronto: MacMillan of Canada.

Nordegg, Martin (1995). To the Town that Bears Your Name: A Young Woman's Journey to Nordegg in 1912. Brightest Pebble Publishing Co. Inc.

{{ISBN|0-9699669-1-1}}

• [http://history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/coal/triumphs-and-tragedies-1914-1930/albertas-coal-town-evolution/martin-nordegg.aspx Alberta Energy History: Martin Nordegg]
• [http://www.archivesalberta.org/2007exhibit/jahsena3.htm JAHSENA Archives: Martin Nordegg]

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Category:People from Dzierżoniów

Category:People from the Province of Silesia

Category:1868 births

Category:1948 deaths

Category:Silesian Jews

Category:Emigrants from the German Empire

Category:Immigrants to Canada

Category:Mining in Alberta

Category:Canadian city founders

Category:German city founders