TOWNS AND MINES:
BIG STONE GAP (SOUTHWESTERN VA.) COALFIELD
My vintage U.S.G.S. map of Virginia coalfields calls this the Southwestern Coalfield, but it is probably better known as the Big Stone Gap Coalfield. The coal produced here has been world class, and much of it would be classified as metallurgical bituminous coal. An
important company in this field has been Stonega Coke and Coal Company, which was absorbed into Westmoreland Coal Company in the 1960s. Westmoreland went bankrupt and exited the Southwestern Coalfield in 1995. Other companies included
Clinchfield Coal Company, Banner Coal Company, and Virginia Iron Coke and Coal Co.
TOWNS AND MINES: