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Leslie Ruppert
Lead Geologist
703.648.6431

Learn More about the Appalachians

A scenic view of the Blue Ridge mountains.

For additional information on the Appalachian Basin Region landscape, please visit the:

• USGS Appalachian Highlands Province website
• USGS, Energy Resources Program, Appalachian Basin Interactive Map

Historical Photographs

Upper Freeport Coal Bed; Photograph courtesy of Ron Stanton, USGS.

Coal miners load coal by hand onto a conveyor in 1918. In the 19th century, most of the mining was done by hand. Mechanization increased rapidly throughout the early 20th century and led to increased coal production. (Photograph from D. Crowell, Ohio Division of Geological Survey, 1995; originally from The Coal Trade Bulletin, 1918.)

Increased demand for coal, beginning in the early 20th century, attracted; skilled workers to mine coal. Company towns, such as the one pictured here in Hocking Valley, Ohio, sprang up throughout the Appalachian coal fields. (Photograph from D. Crowell, Ohio Division of Geological Survey, 1995; reprinted with permission from the Ohio Historical Society.)

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