Coal mining in Colorado

Coal mining in Colorado

Early coal mining in Colorado, a state of the United States was spread across the state. Some early coal mining areas are currently inactive, including the Denver Basin Raton Basin coal fields along the Front Range. There are currently 11 active coal mines, all in western Colorado.

Contents

History

Coal mining in Colorado dates back to 1859, when a pair of men began mining a coal deposit between the gold rush settlements of Denver and Boulder.[1]

Coal miners monument in Trinidad, Colorado
Replica of Coal Miner's Canary in Trinidad, Colorado

For centuries, miners took canaries into the shafts to warn them of potential disasters. In event of a collapse which reduces the oxygen supply, the birds alerted the miners to trouble. The creatures fled the mines if they could before dying. Canaries as well as mice and pigeons have also been used to test for carbon monoxide. Even a small amount of the odorless and colorless but deadly gas will, because of the bird's rapid heartbeat, cause a canary to swoon and thus alert the miners. Often the canaries could be revived if they received immediate attention after evacuation. The canaries were brought into the mines in small wood or metal cages to test the safety of an area after a fire or underground explosion. Over the years the birds saved many lives. By the 20th century, modern detection devices were brought into the mines under government mandate.[2]

Labor struggles

The early history of coal mining in Colorado was one of discontent on the part of miners, and periodic confrontations with the mine operators. The work was dangerous, and Colorado's death rate in the mines was very high.

Erie, Colorado claims the first mining labor union in Colorado, which was the Knights of Labor, Local #771, established in 1878.[3] The Knights of Labor opposed the creation of the National Federation of Miners and Mine Laborers during the 1880s.[4] The first strike was called in 1885 by the Knights of Labor.[3] Then in 1886 a regional miners organization was formed, called the Coal Miners' Federation of Northern Colorado.[4]

The United Mine Workers (UMW) were defeated by company spies in a strike in the southern field in 1903-04.

The UMW called another strike in Colorado's northern coal fields north of Denver in 1910. The strike was inconclusive, but prompted a 10 percent wage increase for ten thousand Colorado miners. The union's real target in Colorado was the larger southern field located south of Pueblo toward Trinidad. A statewide strike called in September 1913 resulted in the Ludlow Massacre.[5] Neutralized by the dispatch of federal troops after ten days of skirmishes provoked by the massacre, the UMW essentially suspended most activities in Colorado for more than a decade. Meanwhile the organization grew stronger in the east until about 1920, when it collapsed after a national strike.

The United Mine Workers were defeated during the 1913-14 strike in Colorado and focused their attention elsewhere. In 1927 Colorado coal miners again laid down their tools, this time under the banner of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Colorado Fuel and Iron, a major conglomerate of steel mills in Pueblo and coal mines around the region, opposed the strike. The company once again hired spies to infiltrate the union.

The 1927–28 strike is best remembered for the Columbine mine massacre. This strike also led directly to Rocky Mountain Fuel Company's decision to unionize the workforce, and President Josephine Roche announced that she would recognize any union affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. In announcing this policy, President Roche avoided recognizing the radical IWW, which had successfully shut down 113 of the state's 125 coal mines.[6] Thus, in 1928 the United Mine Workers was awarded its first contract in Colorado.

In 1933, legislation enabled unionization throughout Colorado's coal fields.

Current production

Colorado is the seventh largest coal-producing state in the country. In 2007, Colorado mines produced 32.7 million metric tons (36.1 million short tons) of coal, and employed 2,069 miners. Most Colorado coal is used for electric power generation. Eleven coal mines operate in Colorado, including eight underground mines in Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, La Plata, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties, and three surface mines in Moffat and Montrose counties. All active coal mines are on the western slope, although the New Elk coal mine in Las Animas County is expected to reopen in 4th quarter 2010.[7][8]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "A tour through the mining district-Arapahoe-incidents on the road-coal mines-Boulder City," Rocky Mountain News, 6 October 1859, p.2.
  2. ^ Historical marker "The Coal Miner's Canary, Trinidad-Las Animas County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Trinidad, Colorado, dedicated June 4, 2010
  3. ^ a b Town of Erie, A Selected Timeline of Erie's History, http://www.erieco.gov/index.cfm?objectid=DEEF1EB2-D614-E19E-26FD7FC0215D314C retrieved February 21, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Dwight La Vern Smith, The American and Canadian West: a bibliography, ABC-Clio, 1979, page 87
  5. ^ Out Of the Depths, Barron B. Beshoar, 1942
  6. ^ Slaughter in Serene: the Columbine Coal Strike Reader, 2005
  7. ^ "New Elk Coal Mine expects production in 2013," Mining Engineering, November 2010, p.44.
  8. ^ Cline Mining, New Elk Coal, Colorado, accessed 19 November 2010.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Coal-mining region — World coal producers and consumers. Coal reserves in BTUs as of 2009 …   Wikipedia

  • Coal mining in the United States — See also: Coal power in the United States Coal mining in the United States is a major industry, and reached an all time high of 1.06 Gt (1.17 billion short tons) in 2008, being mined in 25 states. The US was a net exporter of coal in 2008, with… …   Wikipedia

  • coal mining — Coal was very important in the economic development of Britain. It was used as fuel in the factories built during the Industrial Revolution and continued to be important until the 1980s. The main coalfields are in north east England, the north… …   Universalium

  • Coal mining in Kentucky — Coal was discovered in Kentucky in 1750. Since the first commercial coal mine opened in 1820 coal has gained both economic importance and controversy regarding its environmental consequences. As of 2010 there are 442 operating coal mines in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Uranium mining in Colorado — Uranium mining in Colorado, United States, goes back to 1872, when pitchblende ore was taken from gold mines near Central City, Colorado. The Colorado uranium industry has seen booms and busts, but continues to this day. Not counting byproduct… …   Wikipedia

  • Colorado Labor Wars — Colorado s most significant battles between labor and capital occurred primarily between miners and mine operators. In these battles the state government, with one clear exception, always took the side of the mine operators. Additional… …   Wikipedia

  • Category:Coal mining disasters in the United States — Subcategories This category has the following 12 subcategories, out of 12 total. A [×] Coal mining disasters in Alabama‎ (1 P) C [×] …   Wikipedia

  • Coal upgrading technology — refers to a class of technologies developed to remove moisture and certain pollutants from low rank coals such as sub Bituminous coal and lignite (brown coal) and raise their calorific values. Companies located in Australia, Germany and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Mining in the United States — Contents 1 History 2 Mining by mineral 3 Mining by state 4 See also Histor …   Wikipedia

  • Coal seam fire — A coal seam fire near Denniston, New Zealand A coal seam fire or mine fire is the underground smouldering of a coal deposit, often in a coal mine. Such fires have economic, social and ecological impacts. They are often started by lightning, grass …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”