Mount Gay, WV

Currently in the Mount Gay gallery on this website, Photo #2 is the same photo recently posted (January 11, 2020) on the Logan County, WV History and Memories Facebook site (and various other Facebook sites) where it was described as being: “….. the old Mt. Gay, WV Coal Company mine portal where Jack Dempsey worked before becoming world boxing champion….”. The elevation of the pavement at the concrete structure shown in the photo is 662 feet (https://www.mapwv.gov/flood/map/). The “bench” just above the road and concrete structure is where the coal company railroad siding was. The railroad bench is at about 680 feet elevation.

The concrete structure seen in the photo IS NOT a mine portal that Jack Dempsey used when he worked at a Gay Coal and Coke mine. IF the concrete shown in the photo is a portal of a Gay Coal and Coke mine, it is a mine that was opened when Jack Dempsey was 35 years old, long past being world champ.

As can be seen in Photo #21 in the Mount Gay gallery, the original Gay Coal and Coke mine opened in 1904 was in the Cedar Grove (aka Island Creek) seam located about 200 feet higher up on the hill than the railroad. That coal seam was about 6 feet thick and at an elevation of about 860 feet. Records indicate that in 1915, this was the only mine Gay Coal and Coke had in operation. Boxer Jack Dempsey was 20 years old in 1915 and if he ever worked at a Gay Coal and Coke mine, it would have been at the Cedar Grove seam mine high up on the hill above the railroad.

In the WV Mine Information Database Systems (WVMIDS) files, there is a blueprint mine map #904033-2 dated August-1930 and titled “Gay Coal and Coke Co. Mine No. 2”. That mine was opened in 1930. The map has a note that it was updated as of September 29, 1950, indicative that the mine operated at least until 1950. The location of the Gay Coal and Coke Co. railroad loading point tipple is also shown on that map. The two (2) openings (portals) to this mine are shown to be about 450 feet east (toward Logan) from the tipple and no part of the mine is closer than about 350 feet to the tipple. Map #339963-1 shows the Mine No. 2 opening nearest the tipple was at 670.1 feet elevation and the other opening toward Logan was at 670.2 feet elevation, both under the elevation of the railroad track. The openings were about 70 feet apart. The seam was less than 4 feet thick. It appears that the seam was the No. 2 Gas seam. Mine 2 was opened by Gay within 100 feet or so of the property line separating the Gay property and the property of Aracoma Coal Company which had a large mine east of the Gay property toward City View and Coal Branch.

The WVMIDS files has listed a blueprint map #904041-1 titled: “……Gay Coal & Coke Co. Mine-No. 3……”and with a note it was updated march 1, 1953. (There were some workings dated 1954.) The opening portal to Mine #3 was at about 810 feet elevation and about 150 feet east of the tipple structure going up the hill. The seam was less than 4 feet thick. It appears that the seam was the Alma seam. At some point in time this mine had a cutout opening in the left fork of Old House Branch (aka Milk House Branch) where the mine haulage track crossed the hollow into the opposite hillside where another opening was made and mining continued from that new opening. Similarly, it appears that the mine had a cutout opening in the right fork of Dempsey Branch (currently Cement Hill Road fork) where the mine haulage track crossed the right fork hollow into the opposite hillside where another opening was made and mining continued from that new opening northward toward Seng Camp Branch of Buffalo Creek (Chief Logan Park).

The maps of Mine #2 and Mine #3 both were updated in the 1950’s. Both mines appear to have been extensively developed at that time, indicating both had been operating for many years. With Mine #2 opening in 1930, it is logical to assume that, by the numbering sequence, Mine #3 was opened after Mine #2.

The WVMIDS files has listed a map #307644-1 titled: “……M c Gaye Coal & Coke Co. Mine-No. 2……” with a notarization date of October 3, 1963. That map shows projections for a 1963 proposed new small “truck mine” with two (2) new openings next to the original mine openings and between the tipple and the original openings. None of that proposed small truck mine was within 200 feet or so of the tipple.

It is worth noting that the name on the map #307644-1 is an “overwrite” where the letters “M c” was added in cursive writing to the front of the printed word Gay and the letter “ e” was added to the end. In essence, changing Gay Coal & Coke Co. to McGaye Coal & Coke Co. It appears that at some time, a small truck mine operated near the Calf Hollow area of Dempsey Branch under the name McGaye Coal Co. (see map #307645-1)

The WVMIDS files has listed a map #339963-1 titled: “……Gay Coal & Coke Co. Mine-No. 2-C……” with a notarization date of October 18, 1958. This map is basically the same map as #307644-1 but it shows a very small amount (less than 100 feet) of mining had been done in the new small “truck mine” with two (2) new openings that was proposed in the #307644-1 map. (Note that map #307644-1 called the mine “No. 2” and the map #339963-1 called it “No. 2-C”.)
It is worth noting that map #339963-1 of Mine No. 2 in the 2-GAS seam also shows a small amount of mapping of the openings to Mine No.3 in the Alma seam higher up on the hill.

Photo #71 currently in the Mount Gay gallery on this website is titled: “….. Mount Gay mine c1930s courtesy of Cora Sloan Harrison….”. This view appears as if one is looking toward Mud Fork from a point about 100 feet below the tipple toward Logan. The scene shows two railroad tracks with a mountainside to the right. Between the railroad tracks and the mountain are two mine car tracks. The scene depicts an arrangement by which mine cars with coal were hoisted up a 50-foot or so tall inclined ramp and emptied into the tipple structure to be loaded into railroad cars. The

From mine maps we know the openings to Mine No. 2 were at 670 feet elevation and from other information (https://www.mapwv.gov/flood/map/) we know the railroad siding elevation was at about 680 feet. The mine openings were UNDER the railroad. This leads me to pose an intriguing question. HOW DID THE MINE COAL CARS GET UP FROM OPENINGS UNDER THE RAILROAD AND CROSS OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS??

What kind of structure or mine trackage, if any, was in front of the railroad where the road to Mud Fork is now?

My grandparents were Lennie and Leah Honaker, and my mother was Helen Honaker, who I believe worked at the “company store” of the Gay Coal & Coke Company while she was in school at Logan High School. I’m named for my grandfather.