I grew up in various towns in southeastern Kentucky from my birth in 1958 until I left for college in 1976. My dad had a mining engineering degree and worked for coal mining companies. For much of my childhood we lived in houses in coal camps, houses that were built for the coal companies he worked for.
Over the years dad worked for several different companies. One of them was a coal mining subsidiary of U.S. Steel Corporation in Lynch, Kentucky. At one time Lynch was the largest coal camp in the world, a model camp offering many services to miners and their families, according to Portal31.org and other sources. But U.S. Steel no longer mines coal there. Like many other coal mining operations in eastern Kentucky, it closed down.
Tourism Offers Potential in Some Former Mining Areas
Near Lynch, visitors can pay to tour the nice Kentucky Coal Museum in Benham, Kentucky.
Visitors can pay to ride through part of mine 31 and see displays inside it. In Lynch some former coal camp buildings and plaques about them can be viewed free.
Tourism attracts some visitors and revenue to Benham and Lynch, but little compared to the wealth generated by the past coal mining operations in the area. Indeed, the tourist attractions currently probably don't earn enough revenue to cover their operating costs.
However, the potential for more tourism exists in Benham and Lynch, as well as in a few other places near former coal mining areas in eastern Kentucky, perhaps most notably the Breaks Interstate Park area (which already attracts a lot of people) along the Kentucky-Virginia border and Jenkins, Kentucky, which I wrote about in another Google Blogger post.
The Jenkins area features a unique geological fault that attracts visitors, as well as a small mining and railroad museum, a marvelous U.S. Civil War monument that promotes unity and honors those who fought and died on both sides, and some other attractions. The first photo below shows part of the Pine Mountain fault with the unusual lay of the rocks beside U.S. Route 23 above Jenkins. The second and third photos show the Civil War monument located near the top of the mountain above Jenkins. I took all three photos in July 2018.
Jenkins was constructed by Consolidation Coal Company in the early 1900s, then sold to a mining subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Company in the 1950s. This is another company that my dad worked for during his career.
A coordinated marketing effort about beautiful scenery and other attractions could potentially make Benham, Lynch, Jenkins, Elkhorn City, and nearby Pikeville attractive to huge numbers of tourists. But even if it does, tourist revenue would likely pale compared to that generated by past mining operations. And most other former coal mining towns in southeastern Kentucky lack major appeal to tourists.
However, in addition to jobs, tourism could bring an influx of visitors that might add diversity to the region, similar on a smaller scale to the thousands of persons the coal industry brought to the region in the last century that included a melting pot of persons from different cultures.
Southeastern Kentucky is unlikely to ever have enough jobs to match employment during the coal boom, but it can attract tourists to certain areas and create some jobs in the process. Next to home-based businesses, tourism may offer the best opportunities for expanding work in such areas. A few (many?) tourists might even be attracted by the area's beauty and decide to stay.
Southeastern Kentucky Coal Mining Areas: Past, Present, and Future
Coal mining was the major source of employment in southeastern Kentucky during my childhood, and up until fairly recently. In fact, much of southeastern Kentucky would probably still be sparsely populated if not for coal companies creating numerous jobs and bringing workers in to the area to work in the mines and in related jobs.
But, in recent years, many of the coal mines have closed, and some mining companies have filed for bankruptcy. Much of the best and most easily accessible coal has already been mined, and tougher environmental regulations make mining the remaining coal even more difficult.
Mountainous terrain, as well as the lack of navigable rivers or large airports, probably limits the desire of most companies to locate major businesses in the area.
However, many wonderful people live in southeastern Kentucky, including some fine Christians. But, Christians are called to spread the gospel around the world, not to hide it in a hollow. It has been said by some that the success of a Christian Church is not measured by how many persons it brings in, but by how many it sends out to make a positive influence around the world. For example, Pastor Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church has stated on multiple occasions words similar to, "A church's health is measured by its sending capacity, not its seating capacity." It may be desirable for a lot of southeastern Kentucky Christians to relocate where their Christian witness can benefit others (and themselves) more.
I don't know why settlers came to southeastern Kentucky in the 1700s and 1800s and earlier, when there was no coal industry in the area. Perhaps some sought privacy in the isolated rural location. Some may just have enjoyed the beauty of the mountain scenery. A few may have been African-Americans fleeing slavery in the south; a few may have been Cherokees fleeing from the Trail of Tears. Maybe some even came from Salem, Massachusetts to obtain religious freedom after the religious persecution there.
Other things being equal, often it is great to stay in the same location. One can get to know one's neighbors, the terrain, etc. Familiarity is nice, and it isn't easy to pack up and move, leaving friends and relatives behind. Moving can be expensive, too. But modern transportation methods and modern communication methods make both moving and staying in contact with those left behind easier now than in the past.
Our nation was settled by persons willing to travel to new areas, often on foot, by horse, or by wagon. Such moving is in theory easier now with automobiles, etc. The southeastern Kentucky area may be one of the parts of the United States where persons are most deeply entrenched, with many families living there for multiple generations.
For the future, mobility may be necessary. I urge persons in southeastern Kentucky who lost jobs in the mining industry that may never be restored to seriously consider moving to other areas, unless they can create or find an alternative career path.
Furthermore, although I am content in Lexington, Kentucky where I live now, I desire to be receptive if God wants me to relocate elsewhere. The key is to be willing to be where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do. If we do this, we will enjoy God's blessings.
NOTE: This article was last revised on July 28th, 2021.
