History, Geology and Coal

History, Geology and Coal. . , Once surfaced mined for coal to generate electricity to power our homes and businesses, Recreation Land is the best known symbol of AEP's environmental stewardship., What is Recreation Land? , Recreation Land grew out of increasing demand for outdoor public recreation areas. This demand presented the perfect opportunity to show that reclaimed surface mined land is a valuable resource people would enjoy., AEP's vast areas of natural woodlands and open meadows, as well as the rolling grasslands, tree plantations and numerous lakes created by surface mining operations, were an ideal environment for recreational activities. AEP began establishing park sites within these areas in 1961. At this same time, AEP and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) formed a partnership that opened the land for public recreation, with the ODNR Division of Wildlife providing wildlife expertise and protection, and stocking of ponds for fishing., Recreation Land encompasses over 50,000 acres in parts of Morgan, Noble, Muskingum and Guernsey counties and has become the largest public recreation area in Ohio., Today, Recreation Land offers 9 campsites with sanitary facilities, drinking water, picnic shelters and other associated amenities. These facilities can accommodate up to 380 camping units. There also are more than 350 stocked lakes and ponds., Increasing numbers of visitors are er joying Recreation Land's wide variety of free recreational features and opportunities, which include picturesque roadways, hiking trails, bird watching areas, horse trails, stargazing, boating, fishing, hunting, camping and mountain bike riding., In 1998, the ODNR recognized Recreation Land as the largest single outdoor recreation area in Ohio., More than 100,000 people from Ohio and surrounding states visit here each year, providing an estimated social and economic benefit of more than $3 million. We hope you enjoy your visit., What Was Recreation Land? , Agriculture dominated the economy here until the 1940s when harvests dwindled, the population declined and land values dropped. The land, however, held rich coal deposits., The coal deposits found beneath the surface of the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio were the answer to the declining economy. Surface mining operations developed to recover these deposits and to fuel the local economy. The coal mined here would be used as fuel at AEP's nearby Philo Generating Station and later at the new Muskingum River Generating Station. Typically, power plants were located near fuel sources and an abundant water supply., The coal found here is made up of organic plant matter that lived approximately 300 million years ago. During the Pennsylvanian Period, the Earth was covered with huge swampy forests of giant ferns, reeds and mosses. These plants died and fell into the water to be replaced by new plants., As this life and death cycle continued over time, a thick layer of dead, decaying plants built up in the water. As time passed, dirt washed into the water to cover the dead plants, preventing them from completely decomposing., After millions of years, these cycles formed many layers. The weight of the overlying layers compressed the lower layers to form peat. Heat and pressure from the overlying sediments produced chemical changes in the peat, forcing out oxygen and hydrogen, and leaving behind the rich carbon deposits of coal., It is estimated that a layer of plants 20 feet thick may have been required to form a coal seam one foot thick. Coal seams range in thickness from only a few inches to more than 100 feet., Coal is classified as anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous and lignite, depending on the amount of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen present in the coal. The amounts vary with the location of the coal seam, the types of plants from which the coal was formed and the degree of change brought about by heat and pressure., All coal has some degree of sulfur. Coal formed in swamps covered by sea water contains a higher sulfur content. Low-sulfur coal generally was formed under freshwater conditions. Coal reserves in the eastern United States generally have a higher sulfur content than coal found in western states., Central Ohio Coal Company: The Beginning , Central Ohio Coal Company, an AEP subsidiary, began operations at its Cumberland Mine in 1947. Coal was transported by rail to AEP's Philo Generating Plant., The coal company opened its Muskingum Mine in 1952 to supply fuel for AEP's new Muskingum River Plant. Coal was transported to the plant by a 4.5-mile overland conveyor., The two mines merged in 1969, making the Muskingum Mine one of the largest surface coal mines east of the Mississippi River. It included almost 120,000 acres, covering 185 square miles., Five decades of production have yielded more than 132 million tons of coal, Machines have moved nearly 3 billion cubic yards of earth - more than nine times that moved during construction of the Panama Canal.