1701Coal discovered in Virginia.
1748
First recorded U.S. coal production.
1750
April 13th-Dr. Thomas Walker was the first recorded person to discover and use coal in Kentucky.
1755
Lewis Evan's map showing coal in what is now the Greenup County and Boyd County area of
Kentucky.
1758
First commercial U.S. coal shipment.
1792
Isaac Shelby becomes the first Governor of Kentucky (1792-1796).
1820
First commercial mine, known as the "McLean drift bank" opened in Kentucky, near the Green
River and Paradise in Muhlenberg County. 328 short tons mined and sold in Kentucky.
1830
2,000 tons of Kentucky production.
1837
10,000 tons of Kentucky production.
1843
100,000 tons of Kentucky production.
1850
150,000 tons of Kentucky production. Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad proposed. Kentucky
Geological Survey established.
1860
Pre-Civil War Kentucky production record of 285,760 tons.
1861
Kentucky-born Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16nth President of the United States (1861-65).
1866
Surface mining begins near Danville, Illinois.
1870
Post-Civil War Kentucky production decline to 150,582 tons. St. Louis & Southern Railroad
completed from Henderson to Earlington, KY.
1872
First train off the Big Sandy Railroad.
1877
Coal mined with steam-powered shovel.
1879
One million tons of Kentucky production.
1880
Mechanical stokers introduced. First coke ovens in west Kentucky. Mine Ventilation Law.
First train from Williamson, West Virginia to Pike County, Kentucky. Coal mining machines
come into general use.
1890
N&W Railroad's first mine at Goody in Pike County. Hopkins County in west Kentucky
leading coal producer in the state for 18 straight years. Miner Pay Law. United Mine Workers of
America formed. Machines developed to undercut coalbeds. 5,000 kilowatt steam turbine generates electricity.
1900
Child Labor Law. Edgewater Coal Company's first production in Pike County. First train off the
Lexington and Eastern Railroad. Independent Geological Survey established.
1910
First train from the Cumberland Valley Railroad. Fordson Coal Company's first production at
Pond Creek. Pike-Floyd Coal Company's first production at Betsy Layne.
1914
World War I increases demand for coal; Kentucky production 20.3 million tons. Short-flame or "permissible" explosives developed. Mine Safety Law.
1918
First pulverized coal firing in electric power Plants.
1920
Federal Mineral Leasing Act. 42.1 million tons of Kentucky production.
1923
All-time high U.S. employment of 704,793 bituminous coal and lignite miners. First dragline excavators built especially for surface mining.
1929
Stock market crashes beginning the Great Depression.
1932
Walking dragline excavators developed.
1936
47.7 million tons of Kentucky production.
1940
World War II - coal production in Kentucky rises to 72.4 million tons for the war effort. Auger surface mining introduced.
1942
Republic Steel Company's first production - Road Creek, Kentucky. Post-War Marshall Plan - production rises to 88.7 million tons in Kentucky. Continuous underground mining systems developed. Kentucky Water Contamination Legislation.
1947
Kentucky Coal Association founded.
1950
82.2 million tons of Kentucky production.
1956
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. Railroads converting from coal to diesel fuel. Roof bolting
introduced in underground mines.
1960
Railroads began using unit coal trains. First longwall mining with powered roof supports.
Kentucky Surface Mining Legislation.
1963
Kentucky coal production exceeded 100 million
1968
National Historic Preservation Act. C&O Railroad to John's Creek constructed - Pike County.
1969
Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act.
1970
Federal Clean Air Act.
1972
Kentucky Coal Severance Tax established. Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Kentucky
becomes the leading coal production state.
1973
Endangered Species Act. OPEC oil embargo: Coal production and prices rise.
1976
Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act.
1977
Federal Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act.
1980
Congress enacts the National Acid PrecipitationAssessment Program (NAPAP) Study, a 10
year research program, which invested $550 million for the study of "acid rain." Industries
spend over $1 billion on Air Pollution Control Equipment during 1980.
1983
OPEC cuts oil prices for first time. Martha Layne Collins becomes Kentucky's first woman
Governor (1983-87). U.S. Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program established $2.5 billion in Federal matching funds committed to assist the private sector to develop and demonstrate improved clean coal technologies.
1988
Kentucky Supreme Court rules that the unmined minerals tax on coal is subject to the
same state and local property tax rates as other real estate. TVA 160-MW Atmospheric
Fluidized Bed Combustion Unit on line. Wyoming displaces Kentucky as the leading coal producing state.
1990
Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Kentucky record production - 179.4 million
tons. U.S. coal production exceeds 1 billion tons.
1992
U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992.
1993
CEDAR, Inc. (Coal Education Development and Resources) formed in Pike County.
1994
Western Kentucky CEDAR, Inc. was formed in Webster and Union Counties.
1996
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issues Order 888, addressing the
issues of open access to encourage wholesale competition in the electric utility industry and
FERC Order 889, requiring utilities to share information about available transmission capacity.
1996
Kentucky Coal Education ( www.coaleducation.org <http://www.coaleducation.org> ) was
introduced to the Internet.
1996
Workers' Comp Reform Laws are passed in Kentucky.
1997
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to re-introduce Elk into 14 East Kentucky
Counties on post-mined lands, citing mountain-top removal areas and old mine benches as
good elk habitat. This will be the only large free-ranging elk herd in the Eastern United States.
1997
Kentucky Coal Association celebrates 50 years of service to the mining industry.1998
Mountaintop mining comes under attack.
1998
Federal synthetic fuel tax credit for use of coal fines begins.
2001
Natural gas prices increase over 50% in one year. Electricity shortages result in rolling
blackouts in California. Kentucky permits two coal-fired electric power plants, first in 20 years.
September 11, 2001 - America is attacked.AMERICA'S SECURE FUEL FOR ELECTRIC
ENERGY -- COAL
Copyright © 2003 -2008 Roger Philpot All Rights Reserved
Images © 2008 Roger Philpot
Time Line of Kentucky Coal
Coal Miners Where They Worked And Where They Lived
