Black Diamond — Regaining its Luster

The first discovery of coal in the United States was made in what eventually became the State of Illinois. Authorities differ as to when, and by whom, coal was discovered but, “The World’s Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Universal Knowledge” imparts that honor to Father Hennepin in 1669. The volume indicates that a site on the Illinois River, near the present location of Ottawa in LaSalle County, was probably the earliest finding.
 
As years passed, additional discoveries of coal deposits occurred state–wide, but the mineral did not have much of an impact on the economy of Illinois, until after the mid-point of the nineteenth century. At that time, the rapid growth of the railroads and the development of manufacturing in the Chicago and St. Louis areas stimulated the infant industry of coal production. As a result, in 1853, following the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, shaft mining was begun in southern Illinois near DuQuoin in Perry County.
 
Realizing the enormous availability of coal in the “Egypt” area, and the dependency of mid-west manufacturing on that fossil fuel, speculation on coal mining within the boundaries of Perry and Williamson counties grew at a rapid rate. In fact, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported that most sections of those two counties had some type of coal extraction on going. By the time coal operators had concluded their venture, Williamson County tallied 310 shaft and 63 strip or drift mines whereas Perry County listed 145 shaft and strip mines.
 
Until the earliest years of the 20th Century, Franklin County was noticeably absent from coal producing. Generally, most land owners shared the wide-spread opinion of Hiram Aiken, an early Franklin County historian, who concluded that the coal of the county was of little value, the seams being uniformly too thin for working and no out crop of stratified rocks could be noted. However, when big capital, lead by Chicagoan Joseph Leiter, became involved in coal exploration in the Zeigler area, that judgment changed hurriedly. Leiter’s engineers unearthed a quality coal seam that was unrivaled at that time, or any time since – high BTU and low sulphur content. Thus, his Zeigler No. 1 mine became the first of several world class deep shaft mines that were sunk in Franklin County, each employing two to three thousand men. Consequently, in a short period of time, Franklin County became the U.S. leader in bituminous coal production.
 
With the onset of coal production within the Coal Belt Champion Communities region, the towns of Benton, DuQuoin, Royalton, West Frankfort and Zeigler, and to a lesser degree, Hurst, Colp and Cambria grew at a rapid pace. During this period of transformation, the mold was established for the future of each of these municipalities, developing both common and unique characteristics. Generally, those responsible for change derived their beliefs in Europe before the turn of the 20th century from the ethnic elements which populated them, Croatian, Bohemian, Italian, English and Scotch.
 
Coal mining, which has been a major part of the economic and cultural fabric of southern Illinois almost as long as there has been a southern Illinois, has undergone a dramatic change during the past decade. This adjustment is due to the titanic clash between economic health and environmental quality, and has particularly affected the coal centers of downstate Illinois. During the past decade, state-wide, half of Illinois coal miners have lost their jobs, but diggers in the Coal Belt Champion Communities area have experienced almost total unemployment – more than 5,000 jobs. Consequently, for the first time in more than 150 years, there is no coal being produced within the Champion Community area of Franklin, Perry and Williamson counties.
 
With the growing concern for the unrest in the Middle East, and the cost and availability of petroleum, greater emphasis is being placed on clean coal technology. Scientists at Southern Illinois University, as well as a few other institutes, are developing technologies that will control sulfur dioxide emissions. Thus, the coal industry within the Coal Belt Champion Community may become the answer for future energy needs. According to data from the Illinois State Geological Survey, Franklin, Perry and Williamson counties each have coal reserves of at least a billion tons.