Logan Coalfield
Encyclopedia
The Logan Coalfield is a coalfield
located in Logan County and Wyoming County, West Virginia
, in the United States. It has been a large source of high-quality, high-volatile bituminous coal
since the field was opened by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1905. The railroad C&O maintained a rail yard at Peach Creek. Later the Virginian Railway
built the "Gilbert Extension" which allowed the shipment of coal from western Wyoming County. Both steam coal and metallurgical coal have been extracted from such seams as the Cedar Grove, Eagle, Alma, and Winifrede.
The coalfield is primarily drained by the Guyandotte River, and there were mines, such as Earling, Lyburn, and Marianna in this main river valley. There has also been heavy mining in tributary hollows of the Guyandotte, such as Island Creek
, Snap Creek, Rum Creek, and Buffalo Creek
. Most coal mining in the Logan Coalfield has been south of the town of Logan
, but there were a few coal mines north of Logan and into Lincoln County as well.
This coalfield is somewhat infamous for a couple of reasons. The sheriff of Logan County in the 1920s, Don Chafin
, was allegedly paid handsomely by the coal companies to keep the United Mine Workers
union out of Logan County, and he and his deputies brutally performed this task in such a thorough manner that the union could gain no foothold at all. In 1921 a "coal miners' army" pitched a battle with Chafin and his "army" of deputies and mine guards at the Battle of Blair Mountain
, a skirmish in which it could be said that the miners lost.
Another cause for infamy in the Logan Coalfield was the Buffalo Creek Flood
, when a Pittston Coal Company coal refuse dam burst in 1972. It resulted in the death of 125 people, the destruction of about a dozen towns, and is one of the worst coal mining-related disasters in American history. In 2008 a new coal mine and preparation plant opened at the site of the Pittston refuse dam.
More recently Massey Energy's Bandmill preparation plant had a fire in August 2009, resulting in the closure of the plant. This plant processed coal from several mines, including the Aracoma Mine, where two miners lost their lives in a beltline fire in 2006, also known as the Aracoma Alma Mine accident
.
Coal is still mined in the Logan Coalfield, but it is no longer the number one or number two producing coalfield in West Virginia
.
Coalfield
A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological...
located in Logan County and Wyoming County, West Virginia
Wyoming County, West Virginia
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,796. Its county seat is Pineville. Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County and named for the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains."-Geography:According to the U.S...
, in the United States. It has been a large source of high-quality, high-volatile bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
since the field was opened by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1905. The railroad C&O maintained a rail yard at Peach Creek. Later the Virginian Railway
Virginian Railway
The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
built the "Gilbert Extension" which allowed the shipment of coal from western Wyoming County. Both steam coal and metallurgical coal have been extracted from such seams as the Cedar Grove, Eagle, Alma, and Winifrede.
The coalfield is primarily drained by the Guyandotte River, and there were mines, such as Earling, Lyburn, and Marianna in this main river valley. There has also been heavy mining in tributary hollows of the Guyandotte, such as Island Creek
Island Creek (West Virginia)
Island Creek is a tributary of the Guyandotte River, long, in southern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a rural area on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau, in the...
, Snap Creek, Rum Creek, and Buffalo Creek
Buffalo Creek (Guyandotte River)
Buffalo Creek is a tributary of the Guyandotte River, long, in southern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in the Logan Coalfield. The creek was the site of the Buffalo Creek Flood in...
. Most coal mining in the Logan Coalfield has been south of the town of Logan
Logan, West Virginia
Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,779 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Logan County.-History:...
, but there were a few coal mines north of Logan and into Lincoln County as well.
This coalfield is somewhat infamous for a couple of reasons. The sheriff of Logan County in the 1920s, Don Chafin
Don Chafin
Don Chafin was the sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia and a commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain...
, was allegedly paid handsomely by the coal companies to keep the United Mine Workers
United Mine Workers
The United Mine Workers of America is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners and coal technicians. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the United States and Canada...
union out of Logan County, and he and his deputies brutally performed this task in such a thorough manner that the union could gain no foothold at all. In 1921 a "coal miners' army" pitched a battle with Chafin and his "army" of deputies and mine guards at the Battle of Blair Mountain
Battle of Blair Mountain
The Battle of Blair Mountain was one of the largest civil uprisings in United States history and the largest armed insurrection since the American Civil War...
, a skirmish in which it could be said that the miners lost.
Another cause for infamy in the Logan Coalfield was the Buffalo Creek Flood
Buffalo Creek Flood
The Buffalo Creek Flood was a disaster that occurred on February 26, 1972, when the Pittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam #3, located on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia, USA, burst four days after having been declared 'satisfactory' by a federal mine inspector.The resulting...
, when a Pittston Coal Company coal refuse dam burst in 1972. It resulted in the death of 125 people, the destruction of about a dozen towns, and is one of the worst coal mining-related disasters in American history. In 2008 a new coal mine and preparation plant opened at the site of the Pittston refuse dam.
More recently Massey Energy's Bandmill preparation plant had a fire in August 2009, resulting in the closure of the plant. This plant processed coal from several mines, including the Aracoma Mine, where two miners lost their lives in a beltline fire in 2006, also known as the Aracoma Alma Mine accident
Aracoma Alma Mine accident
The Aracoma Alma Mine accident occurred when a conveyor belt in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 at Melville in Logan County, West Virginia caught fire...
.
Coal is still mined in the Logan Coalfield, but it is no longer the number one or number two producing coalfield in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.