Ken Mine-50 Years.

Ken Mine-A New Era.

In Kentucky, and especially Ohio County Kentucky, coal mining was a main source of employment in the twentieth century. In the first half of the century, there were operational mines in just about all areas east, south, and west of Beaver Dam. Some of these mines were owned by individuals and others were owned by companies like Louisville Gas And Electric. The Echols Mine was an example of a Louisville Gas and Electric owned and controlled mine. Buck Curtis had a small mine just west of Graveyard Hill, and on Hwy. 62, between Rockport and McHenry. This operation is an example of an individual owned mine. All of these mines were underground mines and they had a few things in common. For instance, the miner's work week would depend on the demand for the coal. If Louisville Gas and Electric has a sufficient stockpile of coal for their power plants, then the mine may work only a day or two a week or maybe no work in a week. Another common factor was the danger. If the miner had a safety complaint, or was hesitant about doing a certain job, the person in charge would just remind him to look outside, as there were others wanting to take his place. The hard work, safety factor and the irregular work hours combined to make coal mining an undesirable occupation for a lot of people. Accidental deaths, high job turnover, low weekly pay and hard work were a few of the reasons that a lot of the local citizens went north to find work. As the demand for coal increased, in the mid part of the twentieth century, conditions in area coal mines were beginning to improve. A high coal demand and an expanding Peabody Coal Company combined to create a desirable work place. A higher than normal salary for the coal miner, and better and safer working conditions created positions close to home for a lot of Western Kentucky workers and the northern migration for work certainly decreased. In fact, a reverse migration may have occurred as some of those that had to move north were returning and finding work in the mines.

There was a vast coal reserve in Ohio County that stretched from the Little Bend area on the Green River to Rochester and to Centertown on the Green River and from about Beaver Dam back to Centertown, Rockport, Echols, Cool Springs and just about to the Prentice Road. The Beaver Dam Coal Company owned the coal reserves on most of this land and the property owners were mostly farmers. Coal had been mined in this vast area for centuries without much of a noticeable decrease in the enormous reserve of coal. All that was needed now was for a large coal company to enter the picture. There is an old song with an expression in it that goes: "And along came Jones" or something to that effect. Well, along came Ken Mine and the rest is history.

In the mid forties of the twentieth century, a small construction company was operational in the Centertown area. They owned a small diesel powered stripping shovel and purchased enough land and mineral rights in the Echols area to think of starting up a Strip Mine. Bob Snodgrass along with Tom Allen and Pete Watkins worked for the Jackson Construction Company and their new job became to move the Marion 40D diesel shovel to Echols to start up the new mine. At about this time Frank McClain joined up with the new team and the move was started. From Centertown to McHenry and across Highway 62,the Marion 40D was heading for Echols. Highway 1245 was just a gravel road then and I would guess that this shovel used a lot of the highway to complete the move. In the fall of 1946, the Marion 40D Shovel, along with the moving crew, made the turn near Harvey's Robinson's Grocery Store and turned on to Ken's new mining property. A few days later, the shovel started stripping the overburden and before any coal could be moved, the Union Coal Miners called for a strike. Pickets were set up and the mine was shut down. This particular strike was a "Do or Die" condition for the union and it not only became bitter, it continued for months. Although, not much blood was shed during the strike, there was a potential for serious problems. The picket line members had readily access to weapons and the would be "Scabs" were equally armed. Jackson Construction Company was firm in their non-union participation and steadfastly held out until they realized that they would probably never dig a clump of coal at this location. They sold out to the Kesler Brothers Coal Company and soon the long and bitter battle was ended. After a nine month strike, this new mine became a union mine. Not long afterwards, Peabody Coal Company purchased the complete operation and a new era was started in Ohio county.

Conditions and times were improving in Ohio County and especially in Echols and Rockport. A small mines was in operation and no person that I am aware envisioned just what it would mean to the Rockport end of Ohio County. Experienced miners like Jimmy Blair and Hugh Ashton were being employed by Ken and moving to Rockport. Other small towns in the area were also seeing new citizens move in to their town. Some of the local residents were being hired and trained for work at the new mine. From just a few men and one shovel, this mine continued to grow and prosper. It certainly made Peabody Coal Company officials look good to their stock holders. Not long after the start of the mine, a BE 1050 Shovel was brought in to do the major stripping. It was probably a used machine, but it did not matter, Ken had a big stripper. Ken Mine ended up being a multi-facet mine in the next two decades. The initial mined coal was shipped out by small trucks and even the local citizens, with pick-up trucks could be loaded with coal for their personal use. The Illinois Central Railroad started a spur line to Ken soon after plans were laid out for the mines. The "Rail" tipple was one of the first items to be built. A house that was on the first parcel of land purchased was converted to an office. A large garage to handle the large mine trucks was built just below the office. An underground mine was started and although, it was separate from Ken, the mined coal was processed by Ken Strip Mine. A "River" tipple, or what some would call a "Barge Loading Dock" was built and the "Rail" tipple was reworked so that some coal washing could be done. By the late fifties and early sixties, this mine could do it all. A Strip Mine and an Underground Mine produced the coal that could be processed and shipped out by various means. Initially the coal was shipped as mined. Now, it could be special ordered. Processed coal could now be shipped out by rail, truck or river. At the peak of employment, Ken Strip Mine may have had close to three hundred miners and the Ken Underground may have had a hundred or more. Times were good and the "Black Gold" went out and the "Green Dollars" came in. Prosperity was there for the asking. All good things, in this material world, come to an end and after fifty years, Ken was approaching that ending stage. In December of 1983 Peabody Ken Underground had shut down. In November the twenty-eight in the year of nineteen ninety-seven the last coal run was made at Ken Mine. A year or so later, the plug was pulled and according to the person that pulled that plug, the write-up in the log book stated: "I killed Ken today". A few men were left for clean-up and reclamation work and now with the other mines closing, we were returning to "Pre-Peabody" times. A relatively large coal reserve still exist in Ohio County and hopefully, some company will try to build another Ken Mine.

Gosh, if you are still here after reading all of this, I appreciate your determination. The history of Ken Mine could be written in a book with two or three volumes. I have only touched on some of what I have experienced and of some of the men that I have known. Where I know miners like Billy Welborn and Ed Whitehead, there are other miners with equal attributes that I do not know. I will certainly be standing in line, when and if, that certain person ever writes a book on Ken Mine. I have some more pictures and some more ideas and will try to come up with a "Ken Mine Part II" if there is a demand for a similar type web page. Actually, I have only scratched the surface of the Ken Mine era. What would Ken Mine be without the old BE 1050 and I just barely mentioned that big stripper? Most of you will know what I mean when I say 1050 and others will not have any idea. Men and machines tend to bond and those in control of the machines tend to speak and talk about them as if they were more than just a collection of "Buckets and Bolts". All of the machines in any mine have operators and a few of these operators have operated more than one machine. I can not remember nor keep track of certain machines, but others can, not only tell you the official name and the nickname of each piece of a mine machine, but the history from construction to destruction. This is just the way it is.