Beyond Black Gold

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a rustic village reminiscent of the Old West transitions to a thriving town. Discovery of a massive coal field in the area led to the development of a well-designed coal mining camp. The industry had both positive and negative effects: financial impact on the town and surrounding area and unintended consequences for the environment and people.

The population of the camp is a mixture of ethnic groups all seeking opportunity in a new country. A num...