Gateway to the "Billion Dollar Coalfield"

Gateway to the "Billion Dollar Coalfield". National Coal Heritage Area. , In 1887, 442 passengers traveled by rail to Bluefield; by the next year, that number had increased to 13,448. Almost overnight, Bluefield had become the "Gateway to the Billion Dollar Coalfield.", The Coal Boom , In the late 1800s, southern West Virginia was well on its way to becoming the bituminous coal capital of the nation. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway had opened the New River Coalfield for development in the 1870s. Like the early pioneers, early coal operators kept pushing westward into uncharted territories. The next stop was southwestern West Virginia's Flat Top-Pocahontas Coalfield, which started eight miles west of Bluefield., The Norfolks and Western Railway sparked coal production and new towns throughout the region. But it was Bluefield that would become the largest city in the Flat Top-Pocahontas Coalfield. Bluefield grew from farmland in 1887 to a chartered twon two years later. With the exception of Beckley, Bluefield was the largest service town in southern West Virginia., Bluefield was not a mining town; the closest large-scale mine was 10 miles away. Rather, as a service town, Bluefield was a wholesaler to the coalfields, supplying everything the company towns needed, including housing materials and hardware, groceries, clothing, and mining supplies. Stores, restaurants, butcher shops, hotels, and taverns filled up the few flat plots of land available in downtown Bluefield. Houses, ranging from the simple to opulent, soon dotted the hillsides; distinct communities emerged, with their own schools and churches., The Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency , Bluefield was the corporate and banking center for the southern West Virginia coal industry. One of the city's most unique businesses was the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency., During the first two decades of the 20th centuryk, southern West Virginia witnessed the most violent labor uprisings in American history. To protect their properties during dimes of heightened tensions, coal companies hired private security guards, many of whom were supplied by the Baldwin-Felts. Miners despised the "Baldwins." This frustration boiled over in May 1920 at Matewan in Mingo County. A shootout on Matewan's main street pitted pro-union townspeople, led by police chief Sid Hatfield, against 13 Baldwin-Felts detectives who were in town to evict striking miners from their coal company-owned houses. Ten people were killed, including Albert and Lee Felts. Hatfield was gunned down the next year, purportedly by Baldwin-Felts agents., Boom Town , Bluefield's history has been closely tied to the fortunes and misfortunes of coal. As the coal industry expanded, so did Bluefield. The per capita population increase was astonishing, from some 1,700 in 1890 to more than 11,000 in 1910. By 1930, Bluefield was the seventh largest city in West Virginia., The population finally peaked in 1950 at more than 21,000. Beginning in the 1950s, miners increasingly were being replaced by machines. The number of coal mining jobs dropped rapidly and, not coincidentally, so did Bluefield's population. While Bluefield's economy has become more diversified over the years, coal still plays a significant role. Due to this historical significance, Bluefield has been designated as part of the National Coal Heritage Area and Coal Heritage Trail., History Highlights , In 1939, Bluefield began hosting one of the largest regional coal shows in the nation. Over the years, the show has spotlighted new advancements in mining technology.