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355:. The company rebuilt the community and recruited new employees to work in the mines, but Carter regained the company when Consolidation Coal defaulted on its payments in 1933. Carter died in 1936, and the company was then taken over by his son James who sold it in 1947 to a group of industrialists who changed the company name to the Olga Coal Company.
430:
On
February 7, 2012, the Cape Coalwood Restoration Association announced that the October 2011 festival, the 13th October Sky Festival, had been the last October Sky Festival. After the cancellation of the Rocket Boys/October Sky Festival was announced, Hickam was approached by a group of concerned
390:
As of 2019, much of
Coalwood sits abandoned, including Big Creek High School. The buildings of the town still stand, although time and the elements have taken their toll. A primary school has been built at the former site of Big Creek High School.
431:
Raleigh County citizens to inquire to the possibility of bringing the festival to their city. After weeks of conversations between the parties it was agreed that the 2012 Rocket Boys/October Sky
Festival would be held in
300:
in
Coalwood reached its peak in the 1950s and ceased production on October 1, 1986. As of the 1990 census—the last time the town was counted separately—the population was 900. The town is the setting of
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The
Coalwood-Caretta mine continued to be productive throughout most of the 20th century, producing on average one million tons annually until the mine was finally closed.
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The Rocket Boys
Festival remained an annual event in Beckley from 2012 to 2019, which was the last festival in Beckley. The 2020 festival was cancelled due to COVID-19.
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mine which was also owned by Olga. In 1959, Olga ceased bringing coal to the surface via
Coalwood which prompted the
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with many events taking place on the grounds of the
Exhibition Coal Mine at New River Park on October 5–7.
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He hired a doctor and a dentist and provided their services to his miners and their families for free.
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to go into orbit around the Earth. Commemorating both events, an actor from the movie
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always made an appearance. The 2007 festival also represented the 50th anniversary of
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27:"Coalwood" redirects here. For the unincorporated community in Michigan, see
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in 1905. He came on the back of a mule and eventually found rich seams of
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In 1922, Carter sold the mine and properties within the town to the
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In 1956, the
Coalwood mine was connected underground to the nearby
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to begin pulling up the tracks leading to and from
Coalwood.
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Unincorporated communities in McDowell County, West Virginia
648:
Rocket Boys' October Sky Festival finds new home in Beckley
427:, Scott Miles, attended the festival to sign autographs.
36:
Unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States
380:
At its peak, Coalwood had a population of over 2,000.
638:, coalwoodwestvirginia.com. Accessed August 5, 2023.
541:
926:Map of West Virginia highlighting McDowell County
383:In 1980, the Olga Coal Company was bought by the
1581:
405:festival in honor of the accomplishments of the
376:The Coalwood Community Church in McDowell County
650:, register-herald.com. Accessed August 5, 2023.
79:
411:. Many scientists and astronauts attended and
344:and built offices, houses, a schoolhouse, the
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399:Once a year, in October, Coalwood hosted an
1595:Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
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519:United States Department of the Interior
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311:, as well as its 1999 film adaptation,
14:
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387:which closed Coalwood's mine in 1986.
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1600:Mining communities in West Virginia
510:Geographic Names Information System
497:
87:Location of Coalwood, West Virginia
24:
921:
855:Municipalities and communities of
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25:
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661:"Rocket Boys Festival LLC - Home"
445:Carter Coal Company Store in 2007
739:
154:
137:
78:
71:
58:
605:McGehee, Stuart (Summer 2001).
515:United States Geological Survey
1605:Company towns in West Virginia
858:McDowell County, West Virginia
653:
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576:. Dell Publishing. p. 6.
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13:
1:
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305:'s best-selling 1998 memoir
7:
1610:Coal towns in West Virginia
479:"Coalwood History Timeline"
364:Norfolk and Western Railway
10:
1626:
665:www.rocketboysfestival.com
540:Hickam Jr., Homer (1998).
353:Consolidation Coal Company
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190:1,450 ft (442 m)
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332:Coalwood was founded by
51:Unincorporated community
1569:Coalwood, West Virginia
814:Coalwood, West Virginia
694:Coalwood, West Virginia
689:Coalwood, West Virginia
419:, the first artificial
334:George Lafayette Carter
43:Coalwood, West Virginia
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1558:37.38722°N 81.65250°W
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296:, United States. The
226: • Summer (
115:37.38722°N 81.65250°W
1527:United States portal
1520:West Virginia portal
617:on December 30, 2008
485:on December 30, 2008
453:Flood damage in 2002
395:October Sky Festival
1563:37.38722; -81.65250
1553: /
705:Homer Hickam Online
607:"Historic Coalwood"
548:. Delacorte Press.
342:Carter Coal Company
120:37.38722; -81.65250
111: /
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200: • Total
29:Coalwood, Michigan
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700:Coalwood Memories
583:978-0-440-23550-7
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16:(Redirected from
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788:The Far Reaches
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521:. June 27, 1980
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555:0-385-33320-X
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96:Coordinates:
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1468:Wyoming City
1155:
1116:Brewsterdale
1111:Bottom Creek
877:
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786:
780:Sky of Stone
778:
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748:Bibliography
741:Homer Hickam
696:at Coal Camp
668:. Retrieved
664:
655:
643:
631:
621:December 19,
619:. Retrieved
615:the original
610:
587:
573:
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525:December 19,
523:. Retrieved
508:
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489:December 19,
487:. Retrieved
483:the original
437:
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413:Homer Hickam
406:
400:
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303:Homer Hickam
278:
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33:
1561: /
1453:Warriormine
1428:Twin Branch
1357:Paynesville
1257:Jenkinjones
1247:Jacobs Fork
1066:Apple Grove
1043:communities
873:County seat
807:October Sky
756:October Sky
574:October Sky
544:Rocket Boys
425:October Sky
408:Rocket Boys
402:October Sky
314:October Sky
308:Rocket Boys
118: /
1584:Categories
1567: (
1548:81°39′09″W
1545:37°23′14″N
1488:Ghost town
1443:Vallscreek
1433:Union City
1423:Switchback
1398:Sandy Huff
1262:Johnnycake
1106:Black Wolf
1026:Roderfield
611:Goldenseal
505:"Coalwood"
458:References
269:feature ID
195:Population
106:81°39′09″W
103:37°23′14″N
1505:Footnotes
1388:Rockridge
1282:Landgraff
1121:Canebrake
996:Big Sandy
968:Northfork
421:satellite
298:coal mine
286:coal town
255:Area code
209:Time zone
187:Elevation
1418:Superior
1408:Skygusty
1368:Powhatan
1362:Peapatch
1327:McDowell
1322:Marytown
1312:Maitland
1307:Longpole
1272:Krollitz
1221:Hemphill
1156:Coalwood
1146:Cherokee
1141:Carswell
1096:Big Four
1091:Beartown
1086:Avondale
1011:Maybeury
1006:Cucumber
1001:Crumpler
948:Bradshaw
903:Keystone
670:July 10,
572:(1998).
279:Coalwood
243:ZIP code
173:McDowell
18:Coalwood
1458:Wilmore
1373:Premier
1352:Panther
1347:Newhall
1337:Mohegan
1226:Hensley
1211:Gilliam
1206:Garland
1201:Faraday
1186:English
1181:Elkhorn
1131:Caretta
1076:Ashland
1056:Alpheus
1016:Pageton
991:Berwind
986:Bartley
963:Kimball
943:Anawalt
799:Related
433:Beckley
417:Sputnik
360:Caretta
321:History
272:1554166
179:Founded
132:Country
1438:Upland
1413:Squire
1342:Monson
1332:Mohawk
1317:Marine
1302:Litwar
1287:Leckie
1236:Isaban
1216:Havaco
1171:Effler
1166:Eckman
1136:Carlos
1126:Capels
1101:Bishop
1081:Atwell
1061:Antler
1051:Algoma
1031:Vivian
1021:Raysal
958:Iaeger
890:Cities
810:(film)
791:(2007)
783:(2001)
775:(2000)
767:(1999)
759:(1998)
580:
552:
281:is an
168:County
1478:Yukon
1473:Yerba
1463:Worth
1448:Venus
1393:Rolfe
1191:Ennis
1176:Eight
1151:Clark
935:Towns
913:Welch
880:Welch
248:24824
237:(EDT)
235:UTC-4
214:UTC-5
149:State
1383:Rift
1378:Ream
1297:Lila
1277:Kyle
1267:Jolo
1231:Hull
1196:Erin
1071:Asco
978:CDPs
953:Davy
898:Gary
672:2017
623:2008
578:ISBN
550:ISBN
527:2008
491:2008
338:coal
267:GNIS
182:1905
1496:Hix
1403:Six
1292:Lex
1252:Jed
1161:Dan
908:War
288:in
260:304
228:DST
203:900
1586::
876::
861:,
663:.
609:.
595:^
586:.
517:,
513:.
507:.
466:^
317:.
292:,
1571:)
1364:‡
1238:‡
848:e
841:t
834:v
733:e
726:t
719:v
674:.
625:.
558:.
529:.
493:.
230:)
220:)
216:(
31:.
20:)
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