Laserfiche WebLink
Colorado, also economically based upon coal mining. For more <br />than a decade into the twentieth century the growth trend in <br />mining continued. In 1907 the Louisville production high of <br />763,023 tons was reached followed by 1909 with 753,287 tons <br />mined. Production remained around 600,000 tons from 1910 through <br />1924. These levels of production were sustained by only seasonal <br />mining as the coal found in and around Louisville is sub -bituminous <br />with a high moisture content. That characteristic caused the <br />coal to crumble within weeks of being exposed to the air. As <br />a result the mines operated only when the consumer demand warranted - <br />fall through spring with closures during summer. The exception <br />came when some of the coal was sold to electrical generating <br />plants during the twentieth century.4 That new market proved <br />not to be enough to offset declines in demand that began in <br />the 1920s as natural gas pipelines were built to Denver and <br />more affluent homeowners replaced their coal furnaces with gas <br />fired ones. This trend toward gas heating was disrupted by <br />the Great Depression and World War II. As older mines closed, <br />new ones opened in Louisville to meet the demand. In 1938 two <br />new mines, the Crown and Liley, opened. The Crown had the distinc- <br />tion of being the last operating coal mine in the Louisville <br />area, closing in 1955, bringing to an end the first phase of <br />Louisville's history.5 <br />Mining, the local economic mainstay, was complemented by <br />two other activities, farming and gardening. Farming in the <br />Louisville area was fairly typical of agriculture practiced <br />3 <br />