First Coal Mine in Illinois-Murphysboro, IL - Illinois Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

First Coal Mine in Illinois
The first coal mine in Illinois was located one-half mile south of heare along the south bank of the Big Muddy River. William Boone and his indentured servent, a man named Peter, loaded a small raft with coal from an outcropping and, after floating down the Big Muddy and the Mississippi, they unloaded the coal in New Orleans on November 10th, 1810. The coal was used for blacksmithing. In the next two years they repeated the venture six more times and others soon joined in the operation, including Joseph Duncan, a future govenor of Illinois.

While there had been earlier sightings of coal along the Illinois River, historians credit Boone's mine as the beginning of the industry in Illinois. Until 1823 Jackson County was the only county in Illinois to produce coal and all the mines were in the immediate area of Boone's first mine. The mines were drift mines where coal was removed by tunneling into the banks along the river. During the first five years about one hundred tons were being mined annually.

Following the Civil War the mines along the Big Muddy were consolidated into the Grand Tower Manufacturing, Mining, and Transportation Company. Coal was transferred by rail, which came to be called the "Granny Line," to Grand Tower to the iron blast furnaces there and to supply fuel for the Mississippi River steam boats. The Big Muddy Mine was the genesis of the mammoth coal industry in Illinois which brought prosperity and thousands of jobs to the sate.

Sponsered by
The Illinois Coal Association, Jackson County, and the Illinois State Historical Society

September 2013

County: Jackson Historical Society: The Illinois Coal Association, Jackson County and The Illinois State Historical Society Dedication Date: September 2013 Location: Murphysboro, IL Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/05/2014 snfromky visited it