Winding Gulf Coalfield
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The Winding Gulf Coalfield is located in western Raleigh County and eastern Wyoming County, West Virginia. Mining of coal began in the first decade of the 20th century and continues into the 21st century. The coal in this field is a low volatile coal, and the seams of coal that have been mined include Beckley, Pocahontas No. 3, Pocahontas No. 4, and Sewell. This is very high quality bituminous coal rated at approximately 15,000 Btu/lb (35 MJ/kg). The Winding Gulf coalfield is named after Winding Gulf Creek. Over 50 coal camps were once located there, with independent commercial districts at Sophia and Mullens anchoring the eastern and western ends of the field. By the 21st Century many coal camps had partially or completely returned to nature. These company towns were located along Winding Gulf Creek, Stone Coal Creek, upper Piney Creek, Slab Fork, Laurel Fork, Devils Fork, Barkers Creek, and the Guyandotte River. The main railroad in this coalfield, the Virginian Railway, had branches running along all of these streams. The Virginian's main line bisected the field as well, in addition to a repair shop and rail yard at Mullens (named the Elmore Yard). The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway also served the coalfield, but never penetrated Wyoming County.
Winding Gulf Collaries, Gulf Smokeless Coal Co., C.H. Mead Coal Co., E.E. White Coal Co., and Pemberton Coal and Coke Co. were among the early players in the field. These companies recruited native born whites for employment, but also imported Poles, Italians, and other European immigrants to work in their coal mines. African-Americans were hired to work in the coal mines of the Winding Gulf Coalfield as well. By the time the "coal boom" of the late 1970s and early 1980s occurred, Westmoreland Coal Co. and Eastern Associated Coal Co. were the dominant operators and most of the ethnic diversity had disappeared (including polka dances at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Beckley). While millions of tons of coal have been mined from this coalfield, the mineral is still extracted at a few deep and strip mines, and a large mine on the edge of Beckley, WV is in the construction stages. When it opens in 2007 coal will be extracted by the longwall method.
