Ryan Tate discusses his research on the development of coal mining in the Fort Union coal formation in the American West during the 1970s.
He discusses the geological and economic reasons that made western coal more attractive than eastern coal and how states overlooked as "flyover states" became some of the most globalized places in the world.
Banner image: Westmoreland Coal Company, 1919. See the full image record in our Digital Archive.
Ryan Tate is a Ph.D. candidate studying with the history department at Rutgers University.
