The Elk Horn Coal Company

When businesses, such as the Elk Horn Coal Corporation, found large reserves of coal in places like rural Kentucky or West Virginia, they built what were known as Coal Patch or Coal Camp Towns near their mines. Of course this was to bring in workers for the mines, providing them housing, a general store, a bank, churches and schools. Generally, these towns were not incorporated, did not have elected officials and were wholly-owned by the coal company.

Wayland, Kentucky, circa 1914

Unfortunately, this meant the company controlled everything in town and charged the workers for everything they needed. Thus, the miners were paid in scrip that could only be used to pay rent or to buy items at the company store. A monopoly’s monopoly! Little wonder that my paternal grandfather urged his children to leave those Kentucky hills and find employment elsewhere.

A $1 Scrip token issued by Elk Horn Coal Corp.

Note it says, "Payable in Merchandise Only"

The following is a brief history of mining in the area around Wayland, in Floyd County, Kentucky:

When Elk Horn Fuel and Elk Horn Mining (including Mineral Development Co.) merged in 1915 to form Elk Horn Coal Corporation, there were already 18 mines in operation - seven in the Wayland Division, seven in the Fleming Division, and 4 in the Wheelwright Division.  The total capital stock of Elk Horn Coal upon completion of the merger was $27,045,000 . On November 30, 1915, just 12 days after its birth, Elk Horn Coal acquired all the property of Elk Horn Fuel and Elk Horn Mining including all mining camps and appurtenant mine works and equipment, the 205,452 acres of land they jointly controlled, and an option to buy 50,000 acres more from Beaver Creek Consolidated Coal.

Stock certificate --- 50 shares of common stock

Getting down to business on December 1,  1915, Elk Horn took control of mine works already set up by Elk Horn Mining and still in progress.  At one of these locations, up on Right Beaver Creek at Steele's Creek, there had been confusion as to what to call the mining town under construction.  The nearest post office was at the town of Allen. Letters were addressed to 'At Camp, Steele's Creek, Allen P.O.', or 'Watsontown, Allen P.O.', or 'Wayland, Allen P.O.'. A courier for the company would be at Allen to receive mail when it arrived, then ride the train (or a horse) up to Stonecoal and Steele's Creek where the mail would be distributed.

On May 18, 1914, however, 'Wayland' was established as an official U.S. Post Office (named after Clarence Wayland Watson) and mail rode the train under its own power to this destination.

Elk Horn's coal fields and towns in southeastern Kentucky,
near the Virginia state line.

The towns built at Garrett and Wayland were large mining centers until the last mines closed in the early 1950s. At Garrett, mine postings indicate mine 326 closed in 1927, mine 327 in 1943, and mine 325, the most extensive one on Stonecoal Branch, lasted until January, 1956.  At Wayland, mine 330 was shut down in 1928, mine 331 in 1936, and 332, 328, and 329 held out until 1954.

Tipple at Elk Horn mine No. 329, Wayland, 1914

A company report from 1937 states, the Wayland mine is operating the Elk  Horn No. 1 seam which has a general average thickness of about 42 inches of coal.  The underground equipment includes 26 electric cutting machines, 25 electric locomotives, 500 new steel mine cars, 1 mechanical loading machine and 23 underground conveyors.  These conveyors are arranged to load from 12 working places and to gather the coal to 4 separate points where trips of mine cars are loaded.

       ~from http://www.elkcoal.com/ History by Jeanette Knowles (former Elk Horn Coal employee)—November 1990. All information for this article was obtained from documents on hand or from two books: "Kentucky's Last Frontier", by Henry Scalf, and "Theirs Be the Power", by Harry M. Caudill