A little something about Nordegg
Originally Nordegg was found by a gentleman by the name of Martin Nordegg, who stumbled upon it in the spring of 1910. He was a German scientist in search of coal for the Canadian Northern Railway. As a fluke he spotted an exposed coal fluke at the present day Nordegg location. The town was officially named "Nordegg" in 1914 along with the arrival of the Canadian Northern Railway.

Martin Nordegg soon became the Vice President of the Brazeau Colliers Ltd. In 1915 he was asked to leave Canada and return to his homeland. In 1955, the coal mines finally closed due to the push of diesel from coal and shortly after the town of Nordegg diminished to only a few souls. At the high point of its career, the coal mine employed around 800 people.

Some history of the Hostel
The original idea of the Hostel was to provide comfortable, primitive shelter to attract youth from around the world, thereby providing a focus on international communication.The Hostel was originally in the same area of the current Hostel but at a different location and was in fact an old miner's cabin. Eventually "the Old Miner's Cabin" did not meet the requirements and the current Hostel was built and completed in the 1980's by volunteers and contractors.

Where did the name Shunda come from?
Shunda is the Stoney word "Sinda", which means low-lying flat swamp. The Shunda Creek runs right next door to the Hostel and provides a quite surreal place to watch and listen to the various wildlife that gather there.