What Began with "Wagon Mines" ...
Ranches in Sheridan County accessed outcrops of coal with pick and shovel as early as 1880. Known as "wagon mines" because people loaded the coal directly into wagons, these mines served the local population, providing heat and cooking fuel for homes and businesses.
... the Railroad Spurred to Fruition
Full scale development of the area coal mines followed the arrival of the Burlington and Missouri Railroad (part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad) in 1892. The railroad used the coal itself and hauled it to distant markets. The investment and labor needed to build large-scale mines came from outside the region, with over 20 nationalities eventually being represented in the Sheridan County coal mines.

Coal Booms and Busts (Timeline)
1890s Demand due to industrialization creates boom in coal industry.
1914-1918 World War I - war-time demand creates coal boom.
1921 Coal prices crash as coal is replaced by natural gas.
1939-1945 World War II - war-time demand creates coal boom.
1945 Decades long busy begins as locomotives switch to diesel fuel. Natural gas and oil continue to replace coal.
1953 Last underground mine in Sheridan County closes, first open pit mine opens.
1970s Coal boom returns with oil embargo and continues through 1012 as coal from the Powder River Basin helps to fuel the world.

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Show me all markers in:  Sheridan, WY  |  Sheridan County  |  82801  |  Wyoming  |  United States of America

The Black Diamond Trail
The Sheridan Railway Company
Big Horns
A Place of Shelter
Class 0-5-A Mohawk Locomotive
Historic Sheridan Inn
First Cabin in Sheridan
General George Crook
Trail End
The Pipe of Peace

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