Colorado Fuel and Iron: Company Mines

Bokoshe Coal Mine


Overview
Location: Le Flore County, Oklahoma
Years of Operation: 1979-1982
Total Production (Tons): 35, 192

The Bokoshe mine was located about 1 1/2 miles south of the town of Bokoshe in Flore County, Oklahoma. Coal from eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas was of low-volatile and high-fixed carbon composition and was used at the steel mill in Pueblo for blending with the high-volatile coal coming from the Allen mine to produce higher physical strength coke for the blast furnaces. 

History
In 1978 CF&I entered into an agreement with the Garland Coal Company of Ft. Smith, Arkansas to take over two Bureau of Land Management leases upon which the the mine was located. Until this time the property was operated as a strip mine, but the coal being mined dipped at a maximum of 16 degrees under an increasing amount of overburden that required going underground for coal extraction. Garland was not equipped to perform underground mining operations so, once all accessible coal resources were extracted, CF&I began underground operations in early 1980. 
Continuous miners and shuttle cars were used to deliver mined coal to conveyor haulage bringing the coal to the surface ad development proceeded. Coal was then hauled by truck to the preparation plant. A conveyor system was planned for this purpose but had not yet been installed when operations were suspended in 1982.

Robert A. Burton was the first Superintendent in December 1978.
P.M. Campbell was the first Mine Manager in 1980. 
 

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