Lewistown Quadrangle

Mining in the Lewistown Quadrangle

The earliest documentation of mining in the vicinity of Cuba and Lewistown is in the Worthen reports, listing William Winterbottom and the Butler Mine near Lewistown, both of which opened in 1859. Surface mines were noted in the 1884 and 1885 Coal Reports, and may have begun in this vicinity even earlier. The mines in the vicinity of Lewistown generally worked the Colchester Coal, and those near Cuba operated in the Springfield Coal.

The 1893 Coal Report indicated ventilation was sometimes inadequate. The method of mining in these seams, generally less than 4 feet thick, was to remove the underclay from the haulage route to make the entry 5.5 feet tall. The air courses generally ran parallel to the haulage route, but the bottom would eventually heave “at least one foot of the original four”, leaving an air way that was less than 20 square feet. This resulted in higher resistance to the air current and inadequate ventilation.

The largest mine in the area also operated the longest (48 years), the Cuba Mine of United Electric Coal Company (mine index 738). This surface mine removed traces of many small surface and underground mines.

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Coal Mines In Illinois Lewistown Quadrangle

Mines that Appear on the Lewistown Quadrangle

Unlocated Mines

Fulton County