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

Coal shaped a band of southern and central Iowa, from Fort Dodge and Boone down through Des Moines to Albia, Ottumwa and Centerville. Miners came from Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden and the eastern coal fields, and many Iowa family trees run through a coal camp that no longer exists. These 12 pages tell the story of Iowa coal mining county by county, written only from the old county histories, with every source cited.

The counties

Coal Mining in Appanoose County, Iowa, 1870s to 1912How Centerville, Mystic, Brazil and Exline grew on coal, told through the 1913 county history's sketches of Welsh, Scottish, English and Swedish miners.From the 1913 county historyCoal Mining in Boone County, Iowa, 1850s to 1880Boone County, Iowa coal to 1880: Moingona, Coal Valley, Zenorsville and Milford mines, the 1879 and 1880 inspector reports, named miners and accidents.From the 1880 county historyCoal Mining in Dallas County, Iowa: Van Meter, Dawson, RedfieldWhat the 1879 and 1907 Dallas County histories record about coal: the Redfield banks, the Van Meter shaft, and Dawson's short-lived mining boom.From the 1879 and 1907 county historiesCoal Mining in Keokuk County, Iowa: What Cheer and ThornburgHow Petersburg became What Cheer, Keokuk County's coal town: its shafts, operators, long wall, North Star mine and miners, per the 1880 and 1903 histories.From the 1880 and 1903 county historiesCoal Mining in Lucas County, Iowa: Cleveland, Lucas and CharitonLucas County coal from the 1881 county history: creek-bank drifts, the White Breast company's Cleveland shafts, Lucas mine companies and Welsh miners.From the 1881 county historyCoal Mining in Mahaska County, Iowa: Muchakinock, Beacon, EvansMahaska coal from creek banks to Muchakinock and the Consolidation Coal Co., with Beacon, Evans, Lost Creek and named miners, per 1878 to 1906 books.From the 1878 and 1900 and 1906 county historiesCoal Mining in Marion County, Iowa: Flagler, Bussey, EveristMarion County, Iowa coal mines from Coalport's steamboat days to Flagler, Bussey, Everist and Electra, drawn from the 1881 and 1915 county histories.From the 1881 and 1915 county historiesCoal Mining in Monroe County, Iowa: Albia, Avery, Foster, HitemanMonroe County, Iowa coal history from the 1878 and 1896 county histories: Avery, Hynes City, Foster, Hiteman, their coal companies, and the 1894 strike.From the 1878 and 1896 county historiesCoal Mining in Polk County, Iowa: Des Moines to Saylor TownshipPolk County coal from Fort Des Moines' coal banks to 23 mines in 1898: Wesley Redhead's Black Diamond shaft, Sevastopol, Saylor township and Polk City.From the 1880 and 1898 and 1911 county historiesCoal Mining in Wapello County, Iowa: Ottumwa, Kirkville and KebWapello County coal from the 1857 bluff mines to 1913: Happy Hollow, Kirkville, Keb and Alpine, the Ottumwa Coal Palace, and the Welsh mine bosses named.From the 1901 and 1914 county historiesCoal Mining in Webster County, Iowa: Lehigh, Kalo, CoalvilleHow coal built Lehigh, Kalo and Coalville, from Major Colburn's 1856 mine to the 1902 peak of 140,000 tons, per the 1913 Webster County history.From the 1913 county historyMadrid, Angus and the Boone County Coal Camps, Iowa, 1880 to 1914Madrid (once Swede Point) and the Boone County coal camps of Angus, Zenorville, Moingona and Coal Valley, 1880 to 1914, from the 1914 county history.From the 1914 and 1914 county histories

Coal country in the other Midwest states →

Tracing a coal-mining ancestor in Iowa

• 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 Iowa 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.

Frequently asked questions

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