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The Department of Mines and Minerals was created in 1917. It absorbed several boards and commissions which had been created earlier to regulate mining. In 1883 the state was divided into five inspection districts and the Governor appointed an inspector for each to oversee practices and safety regulations (L. 1883, p. 118). Also in that year a Board of Examiners for Mine Inspectors, composed of two coal operators, two coal miners, and one mining engineer, was created to judge the qualifications of candidates for the position of mine inspector (L. 1883, p. 119). In 1899 this board's name changed to the State Mining Board and its responsibilities included examining and certifying mine inspectors, mine managers, mine examiners, and hoisting engineers. It further supervised the state mine inspection service (L. 1899, p. 306). A Commission on Mine Fire Fighting and Rescue Stations in Coal Fields was created in 1910 to establish regional rescue stations for mine disaster situations. It made annual reports to the Governor and was composed of two coal operators, two coal miners, one state mine inspector, one representative of the Department of Mining at the University of Illinois, and one representative from the Federal Bureau of Mines, all appointed by the Governor (L. 1910, p. 2). In 1913 a Miner Examining Board, composed of three members appointed by the Governor, was created to examine the qualifications of miners and to issue certifications (L. 1913, p. 438).
The Civil Administrative Code of 1917 brought all of these responsibilities under the newly created Department of Mines and Minerals. The State Mining Board, the Miners' Examination Commission, and the Mine Fire Fighting and Rescue Station Commission were preserved under the new department. The department also was charged with studying the nature and prevention of mine accidents; distributing information on improved mining methods and equipment; studying the economic conditions affecting mining, quarrying, metallurgical, clay, oil, and other mineral industries; and cooperating with the University of Illinois in promoting the technical efficiency of mining operations (L. 1917, p. 22). The department added a Division of Oil and Gas in 1941 to regulate oil, gas, and water wells (L. 1941, p. 934) and a Division of Land Reclamation in 1962 following passage of a surface mining law to ensure surface mine closure and reclamation (L. 1961, p. 3113).
For an administrative history of the STATE MINING BOARD see RG 365.000.
245.001
COAL PURCHASE ANALYSES FOR STATE INSTITUTIONS FILES. 1963-1965. 1.5 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence concerns coal inspections, contaminated coal, and meetings of the Purchases and Supplies Section. Also included are copies of coal contracts between state institutions and coal supplying companies.
245.002
REPORTS FILES. 1881-1975. 7 cu. ft. No index.
Files include annual reports (1881-1957, 1961-1972, 1974-1975) concerning coal supplies, mining future resources, legislation affecting mining, accidents, employees, and annual production; county monthly production reports (1927-1948) showing number of mines reporting, average number of days worked, number of men on payroll, number of men working, and tons mined for the month, previous month, and for the month of the previous year; and annual coal tables (1926-1948) showing county, tons produced each year, number of men employed, number of days worked, and tons per man per day. Also included are copies of mining legislation and regulations and copies of agreements between the Illinois Coal Operators Association and the United Mine Workers of America.
245.003
ACCIDENT REPORT FILES. 1950-1963. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Files include federal and departmental reports concerning mining accidents in Illinois. Files primarily consist of fatal accident reports (1953-1963) made by state mine inspectors showing the dates of report and accident; name of the mining company; name or number of the mine; location; names of persons killed and their residence, nativity, age, marital status, and number of children; location of the inquest; and the verdict. Federal investigations of fatal accidents (1960-1963) show the accident date, name of the person killed, name of the mining company, type of injuries suffered, a description of the mining operation, and conditions at the time of the accident. Files also include monthly and annual departmental statewide tallies of accidents (1950-1959) showing the number of accidents, types and locations, and recommendations for prevention of future occurrences. Files also contain correspondence concerning federal investigations of fatal accidents and the amount of time lost by injured employees, copies of statements by witnesses, copies of mine maps, occasional copies of coroner's inquests, and occasional copies of employers' reports to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, concerning injuries.
245.004
ABANDONED MINE MAPS. 1877-1975. 124 cu. ft. Index.
Abandoned coal mine maps show the county, the department's file number, name of mine, and the date when the mine last operated. Also included are county maps which show the location of oil and gas drill holes and maps of abandoned metal mines in Hardin, Jo
Daviess, and Pope Counties.
245.005
MINE EXPLOSION INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS. 1929; 1932; 1933; 1936; 1947. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Records of investigations by state mine inspectors of mine explosions include copies of draft and final reports, blueprint maps of mines with the explosion site and the location of bodies marked, copies of transcripts of witnesses' depositions, copies of inquest hearings, and reports on reopening of explosion areas. Records document explosions at Old Ben Coal Mine Number 8 (1929, 1947), Moweaqua Coal Mine Number 1 (1932), and the Dowell Mine (1936). Frequently included are memoranda, newspaper clippings, bulletins, telegrams, press releases, and correspondence concerning explosions, rescue work, investigations, and reconstruction.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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