Utah's Coal Industry

Carbon County wears its wealth in its name. Coal was dug here commercially from the 1870s, but the industry only took off in 1883, when the Denver and Rio Grande pushed its rails down this canyon from Colorado toward Salt Lake and gave the coalfields a way to market. From then on this was Utah's coal country. Its coke helped fuel the nation's steelmaking through two world wars, and later its coal fed the power plants that light the state. Vast seams still lie unmined in the Book Cliffs and the plateaus above these towns.

What the plaque says

The name Carbon County appropriately suggests the importance of carbon products to the economy and history of this area. The first commercial development of coal occurred in this vicinity in the 1870's and soon out distanced production in other sections of Utah. The great impetus to the industry and settlement of the area came with the extension of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad from Colorado through this canyon to Salt Lake City in 1883. Particularly during World War II, coal from Carbon County placed Utah among the leading coke and coal producers of America with vast reserves still to be developed. In addition oil shale and tar sands offer a rich potential as a source of petroleum. A major use of coal is destined to be in the production of electricity as occurs in the Utah Power and Light Company steam plant near this site.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Prehistoric Museum at USU Eastern — 9.7 mi
  A small-town museum punching way above its weight in dinosaur science
• Price — 9.7 mi
  A gritty coal mining town with a surprisingly excellent dinosaur museum
• Skyline Drive — 31 mi
  A hundred miles of dirt along the 10,000-foot crest of the Wasatch Plateau

More markers nearby

• Pleasant Valley Coal Company — steps away
• Castle Gate Mine Disaster — steps away
• Geneva/Horse Canyon Mine Monument — 3.5 mi
• Francis M. Ewell — 4.2 mi