Coal Mining in Fairbury, Illinois

De: Dale C. Maley

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Fairbury is a small town located in Central Illinois. It is 100 miles south of Chicago and 60 miles east of Peoria. It was founded in 1857 when the railroad first crossed Central Illinois. In 1861, John Marsh, and son Henry Marsh, dug 180 feet down just west of Fairbury and found coal. Their discovery of coal in the Illinois prairie, prompted the discovery of more coal through-out Central Illinois. Fairbury quickly had three main operating coal mines. These mines created jobs that attracted miners all the way from Europe. The population of Fairbury exploded from 269 in 1860 to 2,324 in 1890. The largest coal mine continued to operate until 1941. It is hoped this book helps to inform current Fairbury residents about how important coal mining was to the development of Fairbury.