Minnie B. London: Memories of Iowa's Coal Mining Camps
(Editors note:
This excerpt comes from the memories of Mrs. Minnie B. London, an African-American
schoolteacher in the mining communities in southern and eastern Iowa.)
In the early spring of 1891, I went
as a bride to what was once old Muchakinock, an Indian name that was derived
from a nearby creek meaning, I was told, "hard to cross." It was a
mining camp five or six miles from Oskaloosa, the county seat.
The camp, as it was called, had formerly
been inhabited by white miners. When they went on a strike, the Chicago and
Northwestern Coal Company, which owned the mines, brought in colored miners
and their families from Staunton, Charlottesville and other towns in Virginia.
These colored men knew nothing of mining but were taught coal-mining by men
hired by the Company. Besides the colored people there were also a goodly number
of Swedes.
Nine years later, Minnie London moved
to another mining town, Buxton:
The new camp was named Buxton, after
the Superintendent of the Mines... it attracted many people from various towns
and cities of Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri.
I am sure I am safe in saying that when the town, Buxton, was at its height, no other town in Iowa could boast so many professional and business people of our own group. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, druggists, pharmacists, undertakers, postmaster, Justice of the Peace, constables, clerks, members of the school board, and what have were all there.
The YMCA was a large three-story
structure built diagonally across from the company store. It was built expressly
for the colored miners, and when they seemed reluctant to take advantage of
the opportunity, the Supt. Indicated that he would turn it over to the white
people.
About 1921 many of the pioneers were destined to be moved to another coal field as the mines at Buxton were just about worked out. The new camp was called Haydock, still in Monroe County about 18 miles distance over hills and valleys. Fewer still were willing to follow up the unstable life of a miner and so many continued to go to various cities. The camp had already been populated by many white miners and their families, mainly from Illinois, thus there were less colored people and very few business ventures.