Near Valparaiso in Porter County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Coal Mine
West Virginia 1915
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, February 21, 2026
1. Coal Mine Marker
Coal fueled America's growth after 1890, warming homes and stoking steam-powered factories, ships and locomotives. Railroads made large-scale coal mining possible. But railroads also depended on coalas fuel and for the manufacture of engines, bridges and tracks.
Working The Coal
Coal hides in rich seams in the Appalacians. To reach it, railroad companies built special lines into remote areas, often along rivers that eroded and exposed the coal seams. Miners worked deep inside the mountains to break out the coal and send it down to waiting rail cars.
Inside the sloping structure, called a tipple, workers weigh the coal, wash it and sort it. The cleaner the coal, the greater its energy value. By the 1870s, coal had replaced wood as the preferred fuel for locomotivescoal burns more efficiently than wood, at half the cost.
Can you see the mouth of the coal mine? How does coal get down to the railroad?
Erected 2011 by Taltree Arboretum & Gardens.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 41° 26.704′ N, 87° 8.978′ W. Marker is near Valparaiso, Indiana, in Porter County
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Building the Railroad (a few steps from this marker); Civil War (a few steps from this marker); Logging (a few steps from this marker); Lincoln's Funeral Train (within shouting distance of this marker); City Center (within shouting distance of this marker); A Changing Land (within shouting distance of this marker); Limestone Quarry (within shouting distance of this marker); Small Town Life (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Valparaiso.
More about this marker. Taltree Arboretum was renamed Gabis Arboretum after it was acquired by Purdue University Northwest in 2018.
Also see . . . Railway Garden. Gabis Arboretum Details about Gabis Arboretum's Railway Garden
The Railway Garden spans two full acres and tells amazing stories of American railroads in the context of a large display garden using G-gauge miniature trains.(Submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, February 21, 2026
2. Coal Mine Marker in context
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 24, 2026, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
