Carbon Fuel Coal Mine
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This page was last updated on February 13, 2025.
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Overview
(Note: The Utah Railway shops at Martin are located at the mouth of Hardscrabble canyon.)
The coal mines in Hardscrabble canyon, above the small railroad town of Martin, Utah, west of Helper, were first developed in the late 1880s, but were always small "wagon" mines, not served by a railroad.
Helper Coal Company
In 1916 the John G. and George Diamanti families leased property in Hardscrabble Canyon from Helper Coal Company.
1917
John Diamanti and his brother George Diamanti, opened the Helper Coal Company in Hardscrabble canyon in 1917. (Coal Age magazine, January 1964)
Hardscrabble Coal Company
September 8, 1927
The earliest mention of the Hardscrabble Coal company in online newspapers was in September 1927. (Helper Journal, September 8, 1927)
During the 1930s John Diamanti and his sons Steve, Jim, and Chris secured a lease and formed the Hardscrabble Coal Company.
February 1, 1935
In February 1935, there was a Hardscrabble Coal Company named in a law suite to recover wages. (Helper Journal, February 1, 1935)
July 11, 1940
In July 1940, a news item mentioned "George Diamanti, working at the Hardscrabble Coal Company..." (Helper Journal, July 11, 1940)
March 19, 1942
In March 1942, the Diamantis (Steve, Chris, James) applied to use "Hardscrabble Coal Company" as a trademark. (Helper Journal, March 19, 1942)
February 10, 1949
In February 1949, the Hardscrabble No. 2 mine was reported as producing 80 tons of coal per day during 1948. Of the 22 mines listed, the Hardscrabble mine ranked as number 22. (Helper Journal, February 10, 1949)
October 12, 1950
Research in available online newspapers found that the last mention of Hardscrabble Coal Company was in a small advertisement in the October 12, 1950 issue of the Helper Journal newspaper.
Carbon Fuel Company
The original Carbon Fuel Company had developed the Rains coal mine in Spring Canyon, starting in 1913. Then in about 1950, when that mine closed, the name became available, and the Diamantis took it for their mine in Hardscrabble canyon.
(Read more about the first Carbon Fuel company in Spring Canyon)
After World War II the Diamanti's Hardscrabble Coal Company mine in Hardscrabble Canyon continued to expand, and when the Carbon Fuel Company, which operated the Rains Mine in Spring Canyon disbanded, the Diamantis took over the name of Carbon Fuel Company.
November 25, 1954
Research in available online newspapers found that the first mention of Carbon Fuel Company in Hardscrabble Canyon was in the November 25, 1954 issue of the Helper Journal newspaper.
The following comes from the Sun Advocate & Helper Journal, January 2, 1975:
During the 1930s, John Diamanti and his sons, Steve, Jim and Chris organized the Hardscrabble Coal Company and began to mine the low coal in the Castle Gate Sub II seam in Hardscrabble canyon. During World War Two, another son, Lee, joined the family run business. In 1945 the family moved to another location in the canyon. The mine was operated under a lease from Utah Fuel.
In 1950, after Kaiser bought Utah Fuel, the Hardscrabble property passed to Salt Lake City attorney James White in return for his legal work for Kaiser. White later sold the Hardscrabble property to the Diamanti family. The name of the company was changed from Hardscrabble Coal Company to Carbon Fuel Company, after that name became available with the closure of the earlier company's mine at Rains in Spring Canyon (at some time between 1943 and 1954).
During 1975 the company planned on opening already worked coal seams in Spring canyon, calling the new workings No. 4 and No. 5, conveying the mined coal underground to the Castle Gate coal preparation and stockpiling facilities of McCulloch Oil Company.
August 1960
The following comes from Coal Age magazine, August 1960:
Carbon Fuel Wins Hanford Contract -- Carbon Fuel Co., Helper, Utah, submitted the low bid on supplying 120,000 tons of coal to the Hanford Works of the Atomic Energy Commission in the state of Washington.
The bids for the 1961 fiscal year were received July 6. Carbon Fuel bid on coal shipments from its Castle Gate, Utah, mines. The AEC indicated that it plans to purchase 320,000 tons, but no more than 120,000 tons from any one bidder. Plans are to purchase 200,000 tons from other bidders in the labor surplus areas if they agree to meet the price in Carbon Fuel's bid, which was 30,000 Btu's delivered for one cent." (Coal Age, Volume 65, number 8, August 1960, p. 53)
(The underground mining methods of the Carbon Fuel Company's coal mine in Hardscrabble canyon were the subject of a nine-page article in Coal Age magazine, January 1964. The article included several photos of the underground operations.)
1965
James Diamanti became sole owner of the Carbon Fuel coal mine in 1965 when he bought the shares held by his brother, Chris J. Diamanti. (Sun Advocate, October 2, 1969, "four years ago")
(As a note of caution to future researchers, during the 1960s, there was another Carbon Fuel Company, located in Kanawha County in West Virginia, and part of the Kanawha Coal & Coke company's group of active coal mines. There has been no evidence that the Carbon Fuel company of West Virginia is in any way related to the Carbon Fuel company of Utah.)
June 28, 1969
"Coal Firm Bought -- Dallas -- Officials of Glen Explorations, Inc., Dallas-based mining company, announced that Glen has contracted to purchase, for cash, all of the stock of Carbon Fuel Co., a mining company which owns and operates substantial coal producing properties near Price, Utah." Three cash payments were made in June, August and (Daily Oklahoman [Oklahoma City], June 28, 1969)
(In March 1969, Glen Explorations of Seattle, and its gold, silver, uranium and sulphur mining properties in seven states had been bought by a Dallas investment group, and its headquarters moved from Seattle to Dallas. Glen Explorations stock was traded on the Spokane Stock Market.)
August 24, 1969
"The Glen Explorations, Inc., of Dallas has made the second of three payments required under its contract to purchase the Carbon Fuel Co , a large coal operation near Price, Utah. Jack R. Fraser, president and chairman of Glen, said the August payment was $400,000 cash. Fraser said Carbon Fuel has been producing about 2500 tons of coal each working day from its present mine. Plans are being made for opening another mine on a lower seam, he said with hopes that production will double." (Albuquerque Journal, August 24, 1969)
August 1969
"Carbon Fuel Co., Helper, Utah, has revealed plans to open a second coal mine next spring near Helper. The privately held firm was acquired last August by Glen Exploration, Inc., Dallas, Tex., through purchase of a substantial portion of stock held by James J. Diamanti. Mr. Diamanti continues as president and manager of the coal operation, which now is a Glen Exploration subsidiary." (Coal Age magazine, December 1969, page 28)
September 27, 1969
"New Mine Planned -- Helper, Carbon County —- Glen Exploration Inc., Dallas, Tex., plans to open a second mine at its Carbon Fuel Co. properties near here. Carbon Fuel Co. became a subsidiary of Glen last August through the purchase of the stock held by James J. Diamanti, who continues as president and manager of the subsidiary. The mine will begin operations next spring, and new equipment is being acquired. However, no new employment is expected. Glen formerly was headquartered in Seattle and engaged in Alaskan gold prospecting. Headquarters were moved to Dallas last February. The company was restructured and has since acquired prospects or operating properties in eight states. Principals are Jack Fraser, Dallas oil executive, and Stuart Scott, Dallas attorney who is secretary-treasurer." (Salt Lake Tribune, September 27, 1969)
October 29, 1969
"Glen Explorations, Inc., has mailed stock holders a summary of its activities since last February. Jack R. Fraser, Dallas, Tex., president of the former Washington corporation, said one of the firm's most important achievements was the acquisition of Carbon Fuel Co., a Helper, Utah, coal producer. Glen contracted to purchase the property in June for $1.5 million, he said, and thus far has paid $430,000. with the balance due next June. Carbon Fuel employs 68 men, is marketing more than 400,000 tons of bituminous coal annually and has proven mineable reserves of nearly 49 million tons, he said." (Spokane Chronicle, October 29, 1969)
July 9, 1970
Carbon Fuel opened a new mine No. 3, mining new ground in the Castle Gate Sub 3 seam. The coal would be hauled to the surface at a new opening in Hardscrabble canyon about one-half mile down-canyon from the company's current No. 2 mine, which would soon be closed. Plans were in place to complete a new rock tunnel about 900 feet, which would allow direct underground haulage to a new coal washer and tipple, that in-turn would load directly into railroad cars. Production within one year was expected to be 2500 tons per day, employing 100 men. (Helper Journal, July 9, 1970)
(The planned rock tunnel wasn't completed until 1977-1978, with its outlet at the new coal treatment plant at Castle Gate.)
The coal was trucked to Martin from the mine in Hardscrabble canyon, for loading into rail cars until the mine closed in 1989. The loading site at Martin was just north of the Utah Railway's locomotive shop.
Mine maps of the underground workings of the Hardscrabble mine show that it was connected underground to the original Castle Gate No. 1, on the west side of the Price River at Castle Gate. Production from the later mining areas of the Hardscrabble mine were transported out to the Braztah coal treatment plant at Castle Gate from 1978 until the entire former Carbon Fuel (Hardscrabble and Spring Canyon) complex as closed in 1989.
March 16, 1971
"Option Token on Coal Land -- Glen Explorations, Inc., has announced that its Carbon Fuel Co. subsidiary has taken an option to purchase 5,200 acres of coal lands contiguous to property owned and mined by Carbon Fuel near Price, Utah. The option agreement with Spring Canyon and Royal coal companies covers nearly 2,000 acres of fee lands and about 3,200 acres of leased lands on which there have been several large coal mining operations, said Jack R. Fraser, Glen's president. The Dallas, Tex., mining executive said Carbon Fuel recently opened a second mine on its own property and is producing and marketing about 35,000 tons of coal monthly from its two mines. The optioned acreage would provide substantial additional coal reserves and several excellent mine sites for expansion of its operations, he said. Glen Explorations is traded on the Spokane Stock Exchange." (Spokane Chronicle, March 16, 1971)
May 10, 1971
"On April 29, Glen Explorations entered into an agreement, subject to certain conditions, to sell its interests in its Utah coal producing subsidiary, Carbon Fuel Co., to a large oil and coal producing company, Fraser said. The consideration is $800,000 cash and $2.3 million out of a share of future net profits. Closing of this sale is scheduled for June 15 to July 31. Fraser said a shareholders' meeting will be called as soon as audited financial statements are available from an audit now underway. Glen Explorations is a former Seattle firm now based in Dallas. Its shares are listed on the Spokane Stock Exchange." (Kellogg [Idaho] Evening News, May 10, 1971)
Sale To McCulloch Oil, 1971
August 20, 1971
The Carbon Fuel Company was formally incorporated in Utah. (Utah Business Records at utah.gov)
August 26, 1971
Carbon Fuel Company was sold to Braztah Corporation of California. James Diamanti, president of Carbon Fuel reported that his company had recently purchased the properties of the Royal Coal company and Peerless Coal company, as well as a major portion of the Spring Canyon Coal and the Standard Coal properties. The purpose of the sale to Braztah was to provide needed capital for Carbon Fuel to expand its operations, thereby reducing its costs in answer to the new Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety regulations. (Sun Advocate, August 26, 1971)
(Read the Wikipedia article about the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969)
(Mine maps of the Braztah coal mines west of Castle Gate show that the underground workings were only those of the Carbon Fuel's new No. 3 mine, with plans to expand it o the north and northwest. The same maps also show major parts of the Spring Canyon Coal and Standard Coal workings, but they were not connected to the Carbon Fuel workings. The Royal Coal workings are not shown on the Braztah mine maps, although they would have been immediately south to the former Castle Gate No. 1 workings, and northeast of the Carbon Fuel workings.)
In 1971, Carbon Fuel company was sold to McCulloch Oil Corporation, which renamed the operational company from Carbon Fuel to Braztah Corporation. (Branson v. Price River Coal Co., U. S. District Court, District of Utah, 627 F. Supp. 1324, Decided February 3, 1986)
Braztah Corporation was incorporated in Utah on August 20, 1971. The registration was last updated in August 1999. (Utah Business Records at Utah.gov)
(Although not yet documented, verbal comments from persons on the ground at the time that McCulloch Oil created its Braztah Corporation subsidiary in 1971, stated that the Braztah name was a combination of the words Brazos and Utah.)
(As a side note, McCulloch Oil had purchased the 140-year old London Bridge for $2.46 million and moved it stone by stone to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. On October 11, 1971, the rebuilt and restored bridge was opened to the public. The bridge project had taken 40 men a total of 23 months to assemble the 10,700 granite stones. The project was reported as costing $7 million.)
When McCulloch acquired Carbon Fuel in 1971, the Carbon Fuel company's No. 3 mine was being opened in the Sub-Seam No. 3. The Carbon Fuel No. 3 mine was later renamed by Braztah as the Braztah No. 3 mine.
The Carbon Fuel No. 3 mine was reported as being the first longwall development in Utah, and was scheduled to begin production during the first half of 1976.
The longwall development was being done to attain the maximum production rate by the end of 1982. Through existing workings, and new development, of the former Carbon Fuel mine in Hardscrabble Canyon, all of the Braztah mines were to be connected by conveyor belt haulage to the wash plant and load-out facilities on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad at Castle Gate. Production was currently derived from continuous miner units on room and pillar, and entry development operations preparing for longwall operations in the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 Mines. The continuous miner units employed shuttle car haulage from the face, discharging through belt feeders on to belt conveyors which transported the coal to the surface portals.
To access the Braztah (former Carbon Fuel) No. 3 mine, Braztah planned to drive a rock tunnel from the former Utah Fuel Castle Gate No. 1 mine, which had its opening on the Castle Gate side of the mountain, above the Price River and the D&RGW railroad tracks, very near the vicinity of the Utah Fuel's original Castle Gate coal tipple and rail car loading site.
(Read more about the Hardscrabble coal mines after 1971 and the sale to McCulloch Oil)
Hardscrabble Reclamation
In 1986, McCulloch sold the coal mines west of Castle Gate, including both the Hardscrabble complex and the Sowbelly complex, to AMAX.
(Read more about Cyprus Amax, Cyprus Plateau, and the later RAG American Coal Company -- including the corporate succession to today's Alpha American Coal Company, LLC.)
"AMAX Coal Company, operated the mine most recently up until 1989. Since then all mine portals in Hardscrabble Canyon have been temporarily sealed. Most of the buildings utilized during the mining operation are still in place, as is the substation in the #4 Mine portal arm of the canyon." (Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Report of the slope stability of the Hardscrabble No. 4 mine, February 1992)
Reclamation of the No. 3 and No. 4 mines in Hardscrabble Canyon started in 1993 and continued through 1999. Phase I reclamation bond release was approved for Hardscrabble in February 2001; Phase II bond release was on June 5, 2003. Final Phase III bond release was approved on July 15, 2014. The former Carbon Fuel mine in Hardscrabble Canyon has been fully reclaimed. (Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Permit C0070004)
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