Marseilles Quadrangle

Mining in the Marseilles Quadrangle

Mining began in the Marseilles quadrangle as early as 1849 with the opening of the Eureka Mine by Richard Hughes (mine index 7020). Coal mining ended almost 100 years later with the closing of the Marseilles Co-operative Coal Company in 1941 (mine index 404). Most mines in this area were relatively small. Coal was not a major industry in Marseilles, and it was readily available from nearby towns when transported along the I & M Canal and the Illinois River. Along with the coal, clay and gravel were mined in this area. The clay was sometimes mined along with the coal underground, which was the case at the Silver Clay & Coal Mine (mine index 2704), which closed in 1937.