The following list is a compilation of all active Williamson County mines in 1904. It gives the name, physical location within the county, depth of coal, thickness of the vein, type of tipple in use, mine capacity and in some cases its time in operation.
1904 – Complete list of coal mines shipping coal located in Williamson Co., Illinois, compiled by B.S. Craine, Mining and Civil Engineer, Marion, Ill., Chief Engineer of the Peabody Coal Co., Chicago, Ill.
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Alexander Coal Mine, called Nubbing Ridge, at Herrin, Sec. 30, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 161 feet; vein 9 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1200 tons; operating 3 years; The Chicago-Herrin Coal Co.
Anderson Coal Co., Sec. 23, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 135 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; operating 1 year.
Big Muddy Coal Co., Sec. 33, Town 8 Range 3 East; depth 80 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1,200 tons.
Big Muddy Coal and Iron Co., No. 7, Sec. 20, Town S, Range 2 East; depth 135 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 2000 tons; washer 800 tons; operating 7 years.
Big Muddy Coal and Iron Co., No. 8, Sec. 14, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 190 feet; vein 8 feet; iron tipple; capacity 2500 tons; washer 800 tons; operating 1 year.
C. C. Co., No. 1, Sec. 2, Town 9, Range 3 East; depth, 60 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 500 tons; operating 12 years.
C. C. Co., No. 2, Sec. 34, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth. 80 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 800 tons; operating 6 years.
C. C. Co. No. 3, Sec. 34, Town S, Range 3 East; depth, 80 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; washer capacity 600 tons; operating 2 years.
Carterville Coaling Co., Sec. 31, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 90 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons.
Carterville & Herrin Jeffrey Coal Co., Sec. 22, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 130 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; operating 1 year.
Carterville Mining Co., Sec. 32, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 60 feet; thickness of vein 9 feet; capacity 1500 tons; wooden tipple.
C. D. Coal Co., Sec. 36, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 100 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; operating 2 years; Carterville District Coal Co.
Chicago & Marion Coal Co., depth 110 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; operating 1 year.
Chicago Big Muddy Coal Co., Sec. 32, Town 9, Range 2 East; depth 80 feet; mining 8 feet of coal; wooden tipple; daily capacity 1200 tons; operating 4 years.
Chicago-Carterville Coal Co., 4 C’s, Sec. 19, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 180 feet; vein 9 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 2500 tons; washer 1000 tons; operating 5 years.
Daniel K. Coal Co, Sec. 26, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 110 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 150 tons; operating 2 years.
Johnson City & Big Muddy Coal Co., Sec. 24, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 220 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1,500 tons; operating 2 years.
New Ohio Coal Co. No. 1., Sec. 3 Town 9 Range 3 East; depth 65 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; washer capacity 600 tons; operating 8 years.
New Ohio Coal Co. No. 2, Sec. 33, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 60 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1000 tons; washer capacity 600 tons; operating 15 years.
New Ohio Coal Co. No. 3, Sec. 36, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth, 100 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1500 tons; operating 1 year.
N. V. Coal Co., Sec. 25, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth 120 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1000 tons; operating 4 years.
R.D. Coal Co., Sec. 28, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 60 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 800 tons.
Sam T. Brush Mine, Sec. 34, Town 8, Range 1 East. Our shaft, No. 1, which is known as Dawes Shaft, is located on the northwest quarter of Section 35, Town 8 south, Range 1 east; depth of shaft 100 feet; thickness of coal 9 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 2500 tons daily; a Luhrig Washer, capacity 600 tons in eight hours; electric haulage and lighting plant connected with the mine, electric pumps used for pumping water out of the mine. The St. Louis & Big Muddy Coal Co. owns about 3000 acres of the Carterville coal field in a compact body, lying north of and adjoining Carterville, in Williamson County, Illinois. This body of land was selected by Mr. Brush after he had prospected and tested all of the coal land in Williamson County. The largest amount of coal taken from the shaft any one year was 347,000 tons, in 1897. Operating 12 years.
Southern Illinois Coal Mining and Washing Co., No. 2, Sec. 1, Town 9, Range 2 East, depth 85 feet; 9 to 10 feet of coal; wooden tipple; daily capacity 1200 tons; operating 7 years.
Southern Illinois Coal Mining and Washing Co., No. 3, located on Sec. 1, Town 9, Range 2 East; main office at Marion, Ill.; depth 110 feet; daily capacity, 2500 tons: vein 9 to 10 feet coal; washer capacity 1500 tons; iron tipple; first-class equipment throughout; three years.
S. S. Coal Co., Sec. 25, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 160 feet; vein 9 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 2500 tons; washer 800 tons; operating 4 years.
St. Louis and Carterville Coal Co., Sec. 29, Town 8, Range 2 East; depth, 100 feet; vein 8 feet ; wooden tipple; capacity 15O0 tons; operating 1 year.
Watson No. 1, Sec. 3, Town 9, Range 2 East; depth 60 feet; mining 8 foot vein of coal; capacity 800 tons; wooden tipple; operating 6 months.
Watson No. 2, Sec. 34, Town 9, Range 2 East ; depth 70 feet; wooden tipple; mining 8 feet of coal; capacity 80 tons; running 6 months.
W. C. M. Co., Sec. 8, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 220 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1000 tons; operating 2 years.
W. C. & C. Co., Sec. 1, Town 8, Range 3 East; sunk 100 feet each shaft and stopped because the railroad would not put in a switch. The thickness of the vein as given in this list represents only the number of feet being mined. The strata averages 9 feet thick and over.
Williamson County Coal Co., Sec. 24, Town 8, Range 3 East; depth 120 feet; vein 8 feet; wooden tipple; capacity 1,000 tons; operating 8 years.
Zeigler Coal Co., Franklin County, Sec. 13, Town 7, Range 3 East; depth 350 feet; vein 8 feet; iron tipple and coke ovens; capacity 2500 tons; operating 2 years.
(Extracted from the 1905 Souvenir History of Williamson County by J.F. Wilcox)