POWDER RIVER COAL COMPANY
GILLETTE, WYOMING
This page was created by Michael J. Elmore, Lakeview Elementary
School.
RAWHIDE COAL MINE
Rawhide Coal Mine opened in 1976 and began production in 1977. The mine
currently employs 160 men and women who work 10-hour shifts, five days a
week. Rawhide has down-time during the early morning hours, and on weekends
they run on day-shift basis only. In 1995, Rawhide produced 13.6 million
tons of coal.
When Rawhide opened, archeological artifacts were discovered on the mine
site. In order to mine this area, Rawhide needed special permission from
the Federal Government, and archeologists were brought in to remove the
items (see ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES for more
information). When this task was completed, mining
began.
Rawhide Mine has two different seams of coal. The top seam, known as the
Roland seam, is six to twelve feet thick. The coal in this seam is low quality
and is not used. Below the Roland seam are the Upper and Lower Smith Seams.
These seams are approximately 65-85 feet thick and contain quality coal.
This is the coal that Rawhide mines.
Safety first is stressed at Rawhide Mine. In 1995, Rawhide employees worked
over 312,000 hours without a lost time accident. This is approximately 372
days of working safely. Rawhide Coal Mine was named 1995 's third safest
mining operation in Wyoming.