
81 
The coal production of Colorado in 1876 was 117,656 short tons, as against 1,368,338 
short tons for 1886 and 1,791,735 tons in 1887. 
The average number of men employed, directly or indirectly, in the coal mines of 
Colorado is estimated at 3,500. 
The State inspector estimates that the average thickness of the coal beds worked 
in Colorado is 5 feet 35 inches. He also states that the thickest bed worked is 9 feet 
and the thinnest is 2 feet. 
The average price paid for mining and loading the coal and doing the necessary 
timbering is 89 cents per ton of 2,000 pounds of screened coal. 
The average cost of the coal delivered on the ears is $1.74 per ton. 
The average value of the coal is estimated at $2.35 per ton, making the total prod- 
uct of the State worth $3,215,594.30. 
Idaho.—Large areas exist in the Territory underlaid by bituminous coal and lig- 
nites. Mines have been opened at Smith’s Fork and on Twin Creek, and what is 
known as the Mammoth bed shows local thickness of 70 feet. 
A good quality of lignite has been found near Boisé; also on the Snake River, be- 
tween Payette and Weiser City. A good blacksmithing coal is also reported o1 
Sucker River, 22 miles north of Silver City; also several deposits near Lewiston, in 
the northern part of Idaho. 
Montana.—Much interest has been taken of late years in the coal-fields of Montana 
and the development of the coal and lignite beds. 
Although the occurrence of good fuel in Montana is a matter of great importance 
to the development of the Territory, there has been no great activity displayed in 
coal mining in Montana during 1886. The greatest production had been at the Tim- 
berline mines, between Bozeman and Livingston, but the production there was seri- 
ously interfered with by labor troubles, as a result of which the mines were closed in 
July, and no coal was produced during the last six months of the year. 
The value of the Territory’s output in 1886, at $3.50 per ton, was $174,460. The 
number of men employed can not well be estimated. ~ 
New Mexico.—There were no special developments in the coal-mining industry of 
New Mexicoin 1886. The field of the largest operations has shifted from Raton to 
Gallup and other points near by on the line of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 
Bernalillo County, and near the Arizona border. 
No new mines haye been opened. The production of the Raton district fell from 
135,833 tons in 1885, to 87,706 tons in 1886. This fall in production was due mainly 
to the increased production of better coal at the Starkville and Rockvale mines in 
Colorado, which furnished the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railroad with coal for 
shipment and for railway uses. The coal from Raton is used almost exclusively for 
fuel by the Santa Fé Railroad. The mines are located within the Maxwell land grant, 
and it is understood that a royalty is paid. 
A large amount of the San Pedro coal is coked, the coke being used by smelting 
works in New Mexico and Arizona. 
Wyoming.—The coal-fields of Wyoming are of great extent and value. They have 
been known since 1850, but remained undeveloped until the completion of the Union 
Pacific Railroad to Carbon, 100 miles west of Laramie, in 1868. The Coal Measures 
are estimated to cover at least 20,000 square miles of the surface of Wyoming, and 
the beds are found for nearly 350 miles along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad, 
in every case, where developed, cropping boldly on the surface. In quality, the coal 
is a lignite of superior grade, and suitable for all heating and domestic purposes, but 
non-coking and useless for gas making. 
The entire coal-fields of Wyoming are practically controlled by the Union Pacific 
Railroad. The capacity of these beds is indefinite. They would doubtless be able to 
supply the whole demand of the far West with a uniformly good coal. 
The total amount of coal mined in that region in 1875 was 300,808 short tons, and 
in 1885 it was 807,328 short tons.—B. E. Fernow. 
24738—Bull 2——6 

