Illinois Coal Country: County Histories of Illinois's Coal Mines

A brick mine building and steel headframe wreathed in steam and smoke, with a crane and clamshell bucket at right and snow on the ground. — Orient No. 1 mine in Franklin County, Illinois, which the original caption calls one of the largest coal mines in the world, photographed by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration in January 1939.Arthur Rothstein. Library of Congress. Source record. Public domain.

These 13 pages tell the story of Illinois coal mining county by county, written only from the old county histories, with every source cited.

The counties

Coal Mining in Bureau County, Illinois: Sheffield, Mineral, PrincetonCoal mining in Bureau County, Illinois, to 1885: the Sheffield company town, Mineral Township's seven shafts, Bourbonnais, Princeton and Hollowayville.From the 1885 county history

Coal Mining in Christian County, Illinois: Edinburg and PanaWhat the 1880 History of Christian County says about coal: Pana's Stone Coal Precinct, White's bank on Coal creek, and Dr. Greenwood's Edinburg shaft.From the 1880 county history

Coal Mining in Fulton County, Illinois: Canton, Cuba, AstoriaFulton County, Illinois coal in the 1879 county history: seven seams, Avon's coal-oil retorts, Cuba's horse-drawn mine track and Astoria's coal shippers.From the 1879 county history

Coal Mining in Grundy County, Illinois: Morris, Gardner, BracevilleGrundy County, Illinois coal mining in the 1882 county history: Morris coal banks, the Gardner shaft, flooded Braceville mines, Coal City and the Diamond.From the 1882 county history

Coal Mining in La Salle County, Illinois: Streator, La Salle, PeruCoal mining in La Salle County, Illinois, from the 1877 and 1906 histories: Streator and La Salle shafts, Cherry, Howe and Atherton, and the 1894 riot.From the 1877 and 1906 county histories

Coal Mining in Livingston County, Illinois: Fairbury to StreatorWho mined coal in Livingston County, Illinois in 1878: shaft owners at Fairbury, miners at Coalville and Streator, from the county history's tax rolls.From the 1878 county history

Coal Mining in Macoupin County, Illinois: Staunton to VirdenMacoupin County, Illinois coal mining from the 1879 and 1911 histories: Staunton, Mount Olive, Carlinville and Virden shafts, owners, and the 1910 report.From the 1879 and 1911 county histories

Coal Mining in Madison County, Illinois: Collinsville to WordenMadison County, Illinois coal history from the 1882 and 1912 county books: Coal Branch, Collinsville and Edwardsville shafts, Glen Carbon, Worden.From the 1882 and 1912 county histories

Coal Mining in Sangamon County, Illinois: Riverton and DawsonCoal in Sangamon County, Illinois, from the 1881 county history: Riverton, Dawson and Springfield Junction mines, their operators, workers and families.From the 1881 county history

Coal Mining in St. Clair County, Illinois: Belleville to FreeburgSt. Clair County, Illinois coal in the 1881 county history: Fowler's 1825 mine, Caseyville's 1849 coal town, the Yoch and Reinecke mines, Freeburg shafts.From the 1881 county history

Coal Mining in Vermilion County, Illinois: Grape Creek to WestvilleVermilion County, Illinois coal from 1853 drift mines to Grape Creek, Catlin and Westville shafts: operators, mines and miners in the 1911 county history.From the 1911 county history

Coal Mining in Will County, Illinois: Braidwood and Reed TownshipBraidwood's coal boom in the 1878 Will County history: first shafts, the Eureka and Wilmington companies, the pool, and the Scots and Irish who mined.From the 1878 county history

Coal Mining in Williamson County, Illinois: Carterville and MarionWhat the 1876 History of Williamson County says about coal: ten veins, the Carbondale Coal and Coke Company at Carterville, 60,000 tons a year.From the 1876 county history

Coal country in the other Midwest states →

Tracing a coal-mining ancestor in Illinois

Federal census. From 1850 on, the census lists each man's occupation. Look for "coal miner" or "miner," the township, and his birthplace and his parents' birthplaces, which often point to another coal region or another country.
Death records and cemeteries. Search our Illinois database by surname. Many coal camps had their own cemeteries, which outlived the towns.
Mine inspectors' reports. State mine inspectors published regular reports on the mines in their districts, including accidents.
The county histories. Each page here links the books it was written from. Their biographical sections name operators, superintendents, and miners, with parents, spouses, and where the family came from.
Newspapers. Local papers carried mine openings, strikes, accidents, and obituaries. Chronicling America, from the Library of Congress, is free to search.

Was your family in Illinois coal country?

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Frequently asked questions

Where were Illinois's coal mines?

The pages here cover Bureau, Christian, Fulton, Grundy, La Salle, Livingston, Macoupin, Madison, Sangamon, St. Clair, Vermilion, Will and Williamson counties, as the old county histories describe them. Each page names the mines, companies and camps its books record.

How do I find out if my ancestor was a coal miner in Illinois?

Start with the census: from 1850 on it lists occupation, so look for 'coal miner' or 'miner' and note the township. Then read the county history for that county and look for the state mine inspectors' reports.

Are these pages based on real sources?

Yes. Each county page is written only from public-domain county histories, names the books, and links to the full text on the Internet Archive.

Photographs on this page are in the public domain. About the images and their sources.