(upbeat music) (gentle music) (light upbeat music) - [Narrator] Coal was first recorded in Central Illinois in 1673, when French explorers Marquette and Joliet noted outcroppings along the Illinois River near Peoria.

Early on, it was easy-picking.

Erosion along the River Valley and its tributaries exposed a considerable amount of the energy-rich material.

But as railroads, industry, and population growth increased demand in the 1800s, surface deposits were no longer enough, miners had to dig deeper, and digging required people.

Mines opened throughout the Peoria area, including the dangerous underground shaft mines that shaped both the landscape and the lives of those who worked below it.

At the height of production in the 1920s and 30s, the industry supported thousands of workers, more than 50 coal merchants, and nearly 1,000 coal delivery trucks.

Many immigrants came to central Illinois to fill these mining jobs, many of them Italian immigrants and first generation Italian Americans.

After World War II, as the United States shifted toward natural gas, demand for local coal began to decline.

By 1973, Peoria area mining operations had closed.

(light upbeat music continues) The mines are gone, but their legacy remains in the names of local businesses, streets, and neighborhoods.

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