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Berwind Champion Mule Team
1 2016-03-08T15:30:07-08:00 Todd Antonson f2c5382518f1bdddfdaa97d66553fd32d6161735 7433 1 A Photograph of the Berwind Mine Champion Mule Team plain 2016-03-08T15:30:07-08:00 Todd Antonson f2c5382518f1bdddfdaa97d66553fd32d6161735This page is referenced by:
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Berwind Coal Mine (El Moro No. 2)
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OverviewLocation: Las Animas County, ColoradoYears of Operation: 1890-1928Total Production (tons): 9,076,980
History
The Berwind Mine was opened in 1890 approximately fifteen miles northwest of Trinidad. The Elevation of the mine was six thousand four hundred and sixty feet above sea level. The Berwind Mine had multiple drift entrances which lead to the coal seam. The coal seam was five feet in thickness and produced 258,684 tons of coal for coking, steam, railroad and domestic purposes.
The Mine operated transport of Coal via the C&S railroad line from Ludlow. The name of the Berwind Mine was taken from the President of the Colorado Coal & Iron Company Mr. Edward J. Berwind. The Berwind Mine produced its first coal Shipment in October of 1890. The original work in the Mine was done through room and pillar mining. The Berwind tract consisted of three thousand two hundred and forty six acres of land. Two thousand and forty six acres belonged to CF&I. CF&I leased another five hundred and twenty acres from the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company, six hundred and forty acres from the state of Colorado, and forty acres from a Mr. Joseph Cox.
CF&I appropriated the Mine through the merger of the Colorado Fuel Company and the Colorado Coal and Iron Company in 1892. The Production capacity of the Mine was listed as seven hundred and fifty tons per day. The town's store was operated by Aeillo and Company until October first 1903, when it was taken over by the Colorado Supply Co. The Mine was electrically equipped except for the ventilation fan which was steam powered.
Prior to 1919 the coal produced at the Berwind Mine was sent to the Tabasco coke ovens. After being coked at Tabasco sixty percent of the coal was funneled to Pueblo's steel works while the remaining forty percent was sold directly to the railroads and other commercial customers. By 1922 CF&I and its predecessor company had invested roughly $362,765 into the operation. Some of those investments were adding Panel entries to the room and pillar mining system already in place.
By 1927 CF&I employed two hundred and ninety men at Berwind. The Company also established two hundred and twenty houses at the mine's townsite. CF&I also established a school, bathhouse, clubhouse garages and various other recreational facilities. In 1927 sixty seven percent of the production was mined by hand with the remaining thirty three percent mined by machine.
The Berwind Mine operated continuously barring strikes from its start to its closure in 1928.
