Coal's Net Contribution to the WV Economy

Supporters of coal mining in WV are quick to point out the positive contributions to WV's economy. Those numbers often overlook the true cost of mining coal in WV. The destruction of our roads, the contamination of our streams, the damage to people's health, and the loss of quality of life are ignored or understated. While it must be a part of the economic life of WV, we must be sure to allocate all the costs and be sure the price of coal is not exceeded by the costs of mining that coal. Absentee ownership of the coal and the disregard coal companies seem to have about these concerns should make WV citizens wary. 150 years of mining coal in WV has not led to diverse economic development and has increased the dependency on coal. Sooner or later we must change coal from an extraction industry to a value-added industry where well-paid jobs would be growing and not shrinking. This will allow us to take advantage of our coal without all the external costs that we are currently incurring.   

Big Stick Coal Camp - Extinct

Big Stick, WV was a mining community owned by the Pemberton Coal and Coke Co. The town was named in honor of Teddy Roosevelt who believed in walking softly and carrying a "big stick".  In 1942 Lillybrook Coal Co. took over operations. There were schools for white and black kids, and a company store. Mark Twain High School was known as the Authors and excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. The mines closed in 1951, and the community was gradually abandoned throughout the 1950s, with the last family moving out in 1960. Around this time photographer Earl Palmer took this picture of the few company houses remaining in the abandoned coal camp of Big Stick. (courtesy of Virginia Tech Imagebase)

Today these tipple foundations are some of the only evidence of the mining camp named Big Stick. (January 2002 photo)

Work Cited:

http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/gulf/gulf_creek/winding_gulf_creek.htm

http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/Fall99/marktwainhs.html