Today the site is an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource and is known for the elegant ruins of a set of Bernard-style coke ovens that was imported from Belgium.

[3] Lille was founded as a coal mining community in 1901 by two representatives of a French company, United Gold Fields Ltd., that was re-established as Western Canadian Collieries in 1903.

The company representatives, J. J. Fleutot and C. Remy, were prospecting in the Crowsnest Pass area when they happened upon a coal seam near the future site of Lille.

Initially called 'French Camp',[5] the community was renamed Lille after the French town of the same name where the mining venture's financial backers were located.

With a length of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi), the rail spur was an expensive undertaking that required construction of 23 trestle bridges to traverse the rough terrain along the steep, narrow valley of Gold Creek.

The ovens, which were used to convert fine coal (slack) into coke, were imported from Belgium, with each brick numbered for ease of reassembly.