Life and Labor at the Carbon Coal Mines
A look inside the 1878 mining boom in Wilkeson, where company-owned land and rugged infrastructure defined the lives of the workers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
About a year ago, the STAR published a description of the Carbon River valley. Since then, the place has grown up with the rail and mine development. The Carbon Coal Company, with terminus at the Wilkeson station, has invested heavily in the region. The coal beds are naturally uncovered and compare favorably with eastern funds. It has been eighteen months since work began, and while the mine is not strictly 'open' yet, the location is a short distance from the main tunnel. The valley is only a few hundred yards wide; south of the railroad track is a beautiful trout stream called Fletcher’s Creek. The mine bunkers are situated between this creek and the railroad track. The General Vein, named in honor of General Sprague, was developed first. The entrance to this gangway is 135 feet above the level of the railroad track. The Carbon Coal Company’s hotel, built last winter by E. G. Hughes of New Tacoma and Gen. D. Arnold of San Francisco, is a very substantial building for 24 men, though with outside accommodations, it serves 60 men. This is a temperance hotel; no liquor is sold in the town, therefore it is a very quiet place.
“This is a temperance hotel; no liquor is sold in the town, therefore it is a very quiet place.”
The transition from a 'quiet' company-owned mining camp to the modern town of Wilkeson mirrors the recurring Washington struggle of resource-dependent towns attempting to define their own identity independent of the corporations that built their infrastructure.
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