There's Coal in Them There Hills! Interpretation Sign Alpine Historical Park ~ Sutton Alpine, Alaska
This area's coal deposits took millions of years to form & only a few years to mine, forever changing the surrounding valley.
Stored Energy
Essentially, we get coal from sunshine. Hundreds of millions of years ago, swampy forests covered different parts of the earth. Plants in these swamps thrived using energy from the sun. When they died, they created a layer of stored energy at the bottom of the swamp. Over time, dirt, rocks, & water covered & trapped the plant matter. Heat & pressure caused chemical & physical changes that eventually created coal.
Prospecting for Power
In the late 1890s, government explorers documented many varieties of coal deposits in the Matanuska Valley including lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, & anthracite. Most of the coal remained untouched until 1913-1914 when the U.S. Navy saw its value as a fuel source for the Pacific Fleet. By 1917, railroad tracks reached Chickaloon & over 45,000 short tons of coal shipped out of the Matanuska Valley that year.
Matanuska Mines
Government-operated & privately-owned mines employed hundreds of hard-working people. However, by 1922, the Navy began using diesel instead of coal & turned their mines over to the Alaska Engineering Commission to power the Alaska Railroad & local homes. Mining continued sporadically in the Matanuska Valley, mostly supporting nearby railroad & military operations. The energetic mining activity from 1914-1922 & subsequent strip mining left a lasting impression.
*The children of Evan Jones"
Sparky & Murry & Alabam
Pruit & Johnny the Lip
The jawbone champs of Wishbone hill,
They never know when to quit.
Their ferocious growls & hideous howls
Start at the dry house door
But are washed away at the end of the day
Down the drain of the shower floor.
The children of Evan Jones stanzas are from the poetry book
The Matanuska Bard's Alaskan Verses, 1996 by Bob Klem
There's Coal in Them There Hills! Interpretation Sign Alpine Historical Park ~ Sutton Alpine, Alaska
This area's coal deposits took millions of years to form & only a few years to mine, forever changing the surrounding valley.
Stored Energy
Essentially, we get coal from sunshine. Hundreds of millions of years ago, swampy forests covered different parts of the earth. Plants in these swamps thrived using energy from the sun. When they died, they created a layer of stored energy at the bottom of the swamp. Over time, dirt, rocks, & water covered & trapped the plant matter. Heat & pressure caused chemical & physical changes that eventually created coal.
Prospecting for Power
In the late 1890s, government explorers documented many varieties of coal deposits in the Matanuska Valley including lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, & anthracite. Most of the coal remained untouched until 1913-1914 when the U.S. Navy saw its value as a fuel source for the Pacific Fleet. By 1917, railroad tracks reached Chickaloon & over 45,000 short tons of coal shipped out of the Matanuska Valley that year.
Matanuska Mines
Government-operated & privately-owned mines employed hundreds of hard-working people. However, by 1922, the Navy began using diesel instead of coal & turned their mines over to the Alaska Engineering Commission to power the Alaska Railroad & local homes. Mining continued sporadically in the Matanuska Valley, mostly supporting nearby railroad & military operations. The energetic mining activity from 1914-1922 & subsequent strip mining left a lasting impression.
*The children of Evan Jones"
Sparky & Murry & Alabam
Pruit & Johnny the Lip
The jawbone champs of Wishbone hill,
They never know when to quit.
Their ferocious growls & hideous howls
Start at the dry house door
But are washed away at the end of the day
Down the drain of the shower floor.
The children of Evan Jones stanzas are from the poetry book
The Matanuska Bard's Alaskan Verses, 1996 by Bob Klem