Figure 3. — The region's economy is based on coal mining. 



veyed the territory to the Susquehanna Company 

 in 1754 specifically mentions "the mines, minerals 

 or ore of what kind soever"; and at a meeting in 

 1763 the company voted to reserve for company use 

 and disposal "all beds of mine ore and coal." 2 The 

 development of this resource was started in the 1790's, 

 but it was not until after the War of 1812, and espe- 

 cially after the building of the Lehigh River canal in 

 1827-29, that coal production began on a commercial 

 scale. From then on the mining of anthracite in- 

 creased steadily until 1917. In that year the output 

 totaled 100 million tons, and 154,000 persons were 

 employed in its production. 3 



Meanwhile the population had increased rapidly 

 and had become extremely complex. The original 

 settlers of the region were mostly farmers of English 

 and German descent. During the nineteenth century 

 this basic population was gradually augmented by an 

 industrial population that came in part from other 

 sections of the country, and in part from Europe, 

 especially from Wales. From 1890 to 1920, while the 

 rural population declined slightly the population in 

 the urban areas increased rapidly, largely because of 

 the immigration from eastern Europe of thousands 

 drawn here by the employment opportunities offered 



2 Wyoming Historical and Geographical Society. Sus- 

 quehanna county papers. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1930-33. 



3 Federal Anthracite Commission, economic conditions 

 in the anthracite coal region. 18 pp. Washington, D. C. 

 1942. (H. Doc. 709, 77th Cong., 2d sess.) 



by the mines. By 1920 the population exceeded 

 1,475,000 persons. 



In the 1920's the economic vitality of the region 

 began to wane. The mining industry, afflicted with 

 a combination of increasing production costs and de- 

 creasing markets, began to reduce its output. Other 

 industries were unable to take up the slack. Migra- 

 tion into the region ceased; but the birth rate was 

 considerably higher than the death rate, and the 

 population continued to grow. Labor disputes, 

 which had occurred with increasing frequency through- 

 out the period of growth, now became almost chronic. 

 Unemployment became widespread. 





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./ 



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V..„ . • i, &■#■ ■.•"•> 



NUMBER OF PEOPLE 



• 500 



• 2,500-10,000 



• 10,000-50,000 



• 50,000 and over 



Scale of miles 



10 20 30 40 



Figure 4. — Population is concentrated in the coal fields. 



During the depression of the 1930's the situation in 

 the region was acute. Coal production fell to a low of 

 46 million tons in 1938, and employment dropped to 

 97,000. 4 Between 1930 and 1940, 93,000 persons 

 moved out of the region in the hope of finding work; 

 elsewhere. 5 Even so, the population continued to 



4 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Mines, 

 anthracite division annual report. Hrrrisburg. 1938. 



5 Rettie, James C. the population and employment out- 

 look for the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. North- 

 east. Forest Expt. Sta. Anthracite Survey Paper 6. 25 pp., 

 illus. Philadelphia. 1945. [Processed.] 



Miscellaneous Publication 648, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



