Danville SW Quadrangle

Mining in the Danville SW Quadrangle

The Danville Coal and Herrin Coal were both mined in the Danville Southeast and Danville Southwest Quadrangles. This location is at the edge of the Illinois Basin and both coals are surface-minable near the Vermilion River.

The Danville Coal ranged from 4.75 to over 6 feet thick (thinner where eroded) and the Herrin Coal was generally 5 to 6 feet thick. The depth ranged from very little cover to over 200 feet for the Herrin Coal. The Danville Coal had some geologic problems for mining. Generally, it was closer to the surface, and sometimes water came into the mine. This was aggravated in some circumstances due to channel systems that were contemporaneous with deposition of the upper part of the coal and the roof shales. The channels sometimes cut down into the coal. Horsebacks and rolls were common.

Mining was an important part of the history of Danville since the coal was shallow. The first known mining took place in 1853 by Caruthers & Ball, south of Danville. Most of the early mines were quite small, the more extensive mines not beginning until around 1860. Michael Kelly began surface mining in 1868 along the North Fork but soon moved to Grape Creek and established several mines in that area. Surface mining operations were developed here, the Mission Field west of Danville (sections 19 and 20 of T19N-R12W) being the first site of machine mining with scrapers in 1866 (Kirkland, Blankey & Graves) and later on with the first dragline in 1890. Mining generally slowed significantly in the latter part of World War II, and for the last 30 years only one or two mines operated in Vermilion County.

The back of this report includes mines that could not be located due to lack of source maps or locational information in the Coal Section mine notes. Most of these mines are underground and the production indicates approximately 1 square mile in addition to that shown on the map could be undermined.

Map and Directory PDF Download

Coal Mines In Illinois Danville SW Quadrangle

Mines that Appear on the Danville SW Quadrangle

	Combined	County
0091	Dering Coal Company, Dering No. 4 Mine Brazil Block Coal Company, Brazil Block No. 4 Mine Peabody Coal Company, Peabody No. 24 Mine Chicago and Harrisburg Coal Company, Chicago and Harrisburg No. 24 Mine	Vermilion
0093	Vermilion Coal Company, Vermilion No. 1 Mine Little Vermilion Coal Company, Little Vermilion No. 1 Mine Bunsen Coal Company, Vermilion Mine United States Fuel Company, Vermilion Mine	Vermilion
0094	Electric Coal Company, Electric Mine	Vermilion
0095	William C. Schafer, Schafer Mine Schafer Brothers, Schafer No. 4 Mine	Vermilion
0211	E. S. Gray, Gray No. 4 Mine E. S. Gray, Gray Surface Mine	Vermilion
0212	Taylor-English Coal Company, Taylor-English No. 2 Mine	Vermilion
0400	Mission Mining Company, Mission No. 1 Mine Two Rivers Coal Company, Two Rivers No. 4 Mine Electric Coal Company, Electric No. 1 Mine United Electric Coal Company, United Electric No. 1 Mine	Vermilion
0401	United States Fuel Company, Bunsen Mine United States Coal and Coke Company, Bunsen Mine	Vermilion
0507	Grape Creek Mining Company, Grape Creek No. 7 Mine	Vermilion
0603	M. and B. Coal Company, M. and B. Mine	Vermilion
0656	Alex Kedas, Kedas Mine Kedas Stripping Company, Kedas Mine Kedas Coal Company, Kedas Mine Tri-State Coal Company, Kedas Mine	Vermilion
0663	F. C. Morgan Coal Company, Old Vermilion Mine	Vermilion
0673	Fairview Collieries Corporation, Harmattan Mine Meadowlark Farms, Inc., Harmattan Mine Ayrshire Collieries Corporation, Harmattan Mine Ayrshire Coal Company, Inc., Div. of AMAX, Harmattan Mine	Vermilion
0694	V-Day Coal Company, V-Day Mine	Vermilion
0811	W. W. Coal Company, W. W. No. 2 Mine Blue Lake Coal Company, Blue Lake Mine	Vermilion
0851	Joseph Pichon, Pichon Mine Tilton Mining Company, Tilton No. 2 Mine	Vermilion
0852	Black Hawk Coal Company, Black Hawk Mine	Vermilion
0853	Pierce Coal Company, Pierce No. 2 Mine	Vermilion
0889	Lee Coal Company, Lee No. 1, Surface Mine	Vermilion
0924	Two Rivers Coal Company, Two Rivers Mine	Vermilion
0994	Coal Producers, Inc., Calefy Mine Lee Coal Company, Calefy Mine	Vermilion

Unlocated Mines

Vermilion County

	Combined	City
91830033	George Holton, Holton Mine	Danville (City)
91830145a	Lewis Dillon, Dillon Mine	Humrick (City)
91830222	S. E. Bryant, Bryant Mine C. S. Bryant, Bryant Mine S. C. Bryant, Bryant Mine Martin Samuel, Samuel Mine	Grape Creek (City)
91830318a	Standard Coal Company, Standard Mine	Danville (City)
91830571	Shuman and Son Coal Company, Shuman Mine	Danville (City)
91830077	Charles Moran, Moran Mine Edward Moran, Moran Mine	Grape Creek (City)
91830001	W. J. Moore, Moore Mine	Danville (City)
91830002	Fred France, France Mine
91830004a	Mrs. Hall, Hall Mine	Catlin (City)
91830004b	William Hall, Hall Mine	Fairmount (City)
91830005	Charles Tilton, Tilton Mine	Fairmount (City)
91830006	William Kelly, Kelly Mine John Kelly, Kelly Mine	Danville (City)
91830007	John E. Lloyd, Lloyd No. 1 Mine	Danville (City)
91830008	John E. Davis, Davis Mine	Danville (City)
91830009	William Davis, Davis Mine	Danville (City)
91830010	C. Dobbins, Dobbins Mine	Danville (City)
91830011	M. Mitchell, Mitchell Mine	Grape Creek (City)
91830012	J. Tuttle, Tuttle Mine F. A. Tuttle, Tuttle Mine	Grape Creek (City)
91830013	Kirkland Brothers, Kirkland Mine	Grape Creek (City)
91830014	Alvin Jenkins, Jenkins Mine George W. Benson, Benson Mine	Danville (City)
91830016a	Balser Bensill, Bensill Mine	Danville (City)