During its peak years around 1930 and again later in the mid-1940s, East Coulee was home to over 3,000 residents and dozens of thriving businesses.

In the mid-1950s, however, its population began to plummet and its business count dropped to three—a hotel, a garage and a grocery store.

As with other coal communities, East Coulee's demise began in the 1950s due to the combination of expanding oil and natural gas industries and the transition of many industries to fuels other than coal.

The Atlas Mine survived until 1979 as a severely scaled back version, decreasing from year-round to seasonal operation, and from employing more than 200 miners to having only 60 on the payroll.

The mine's reduction in the 1950s sent much of the community's population to other areas in search of work, leaving an eerie mix of boarded-up buildings and abandoned mines amid the stark scenery of Alberta's badlands.