Coal Mining Camps

A rare look into the past by a man who lived it. Follow Doctor Dorman as he makes house call, hospital visits, does emergency surgery, goes underground and delivers babies in the coal camps of Carbon County.

In the early to mid-1900s, the coal camps of Reliance, Dines, Winton, and Stansbury emerged from the hillsides and desert in southwestern Wyoming due to the increased need for coal. The miners and their families who came to these coal camps were a true melting pot, bringing with them different races, religions, and customs from all over the world. They forged unique communities and worked and lived harmoniously, depending on one another for survival, entertainment, and camaraderie. Although distanced from one another, the camps were integrated by the mines and activities of the Union Pacific Coal Company, and unified by School District No. 7, which provided the educational foundation for their children. The people who lived in these camps contributed significantly to the development of southwestern Wyoming, the economy of the state, and the welfare of the United States during wartime.

A young girl grows up in the sooty shadow of the coal mines of West Virginia When the whistle blows, Christina knows her father is coming home. Every day he emerges from the pit with his skin caked in coal dust. He’s 50 now and he’s been working in the mines since he was 12 years old. It’s dangerous, backbreaking labor, but he does it because he loves his family. As far as Christina is concerned, there is no job in the world more honorable than digging coal. Danger is always close at hand in the mines. There are cave-ins, explosions, and diseases. But no matter what happens, Christina and her family always stick together. This meticulously researched look at life in a coal camp shows that no matter how dark the pit, love will always shine through.

A history of Eastern Utah's coal mining legacy.

Glencoe was just one of Wyoming's many small coal camps that was established in the early twentieth century. Some coal camps survived beyond World War II, some lasted a little longer and some flourished and grew into the great coal producing towns of the twenty-first which still supply coal for the nation. Though Glencoe's history is brief, it is rich in the stories of her hardworking people-the miners and their families, the union, the schools and the mine itself. Though life in that small coal camp was hard, the people pulled together to create a rich sense of community and the times were not devoid of simple entertainment, of fun and of friends. As they did in Echoes of Elkol, Dorothy Wright and her collaborators have once again pieced together the story of a small coal mining community in southwestern Wyoming and its two even smaller neighbors, Blazon and Star Mine. Gathering information from all quarters-oral histories, historical records, photos from the archives and from family collections and newspaper accounts- and weaving it together into the cloth of a memorable story that has been all but lost until now. Here, in Glencoe, Spelling Out Western Coal Camp History, the past has been made whole and available to anyone who values the story of the people who have contributed to the history of Wyoming and, indeed, the country.

Coal Miners from the forties and fifties were a special kind of people. The community of the camps they lived in instilled value and culture that is lacking in todays world. The Coal Camp Kids and Teens arent kids any more. Most of them have great grandchildren. Coal Camp Kids, The End of an Era catches up with the Kids today, and tells how they are passing on their values. The process creates some amusing circumstances. As you read, find out: Who got a phone call from Jesus, why were Bonnie and Margie on a four wheeler, who told David Pittman, Thats how they do it on TV, Why was Ruby Bartley so embarrassed, who thought they might need a good talking to, what did Karen shower everyone with, who got a standing ovation, what did Billie pray for, who is afraid of a thunderstorm, who thinks they would get a rush from a tornado, what got Paula tickled on the elevator, why was Joshua splashing in the tub, and who was interested in Margies twelve string? Explore the joys and heartaches that fill our everyday lives in the West Virginia Mountains. The End of an Era completes the trilogy.

A firsthand graphic account of the deplorable conditions in the Kentucky and West Virginia mines, covering the general economic problem and possible rehabilitation for the 200,000 miners who will be permanently out of work.

Join this, often humorous, walk down memory lane. Find out: Why an apple rolled down the Isle of the Putney church, If Ed got the point, Where Gobbler's Knob is, Who cooked Steve's duck, Where did Jody get that prize beagle, What was Jerry's surprise, Why Emma's play was canceled, How David got into such a tight situation, Why did Jesse James get kicked out of school, Who in the world is "Pampers," Why did Raymond un-quit, How come Larry's Lincoln was only a two speed, And who Sparky is. We survived, with some wonderful memories. This teenage stuff isn't always easy, but it can be great fun. Teenagers are a strange mixture of hormones, guts and uncertainty. Add in a healthy dose of orneriness, a lot of rock-and-roll, a dance step or two, a few likeminded friends and you'll get trouble enough. If however, you throw in, a little coal dust, a swimming hole, a taste of Roy's moonshine, a bunch of school skipping, some military service, red blue jeans, Judy's bottle of Listerine, and a thick layer of snow and ice, then you have real West Virginia Coal Camp trouble. To say that we grew up poor is an understatement, but don't forget, we grew up in a great country that afforded us luxuries and opportunities that make us seem very wealthy in the eyes of most of the world. For that I am very grateful. "Coal Camp Teens" weren't so different from other teens, or were they? The rich culture of the mines and the hills, blended together to fashion people who were especially strong. No one ever said that teenage years were easy. Sure there were fun times and memories that will be cherished for the rest of our lives. There were also lessons to be learned. Learning lessons is especially hard when you think you already know it all. There is nothing good about a paddling, unless you learn something from it. There is not much good that can be said about war, except when it is necessary to preserves our freedom. In much the same way, the trials and temptations that filled our teenage years are nothing to brag about, except that they made us what we are today. "Coal Camp Teens" explores the strange world of the teenager. In particular, the teenager growing up in the coal camps of Campbell's Creek, West Virginia.