Coal Miner

Modern Mining

Coal has remained a vital source of energy for America, and the coal miners are the ones to thank. Their hard work deep underground enables us to take advantage of amenities such as electricity and heat. However, much of the danger and darkness have been erased for the coal miners of today due to advancing technology. Present day coal miners must posses the skills to operate the sophisticated equipment that are used to extract coal from the earth. With technology constantly changing, modern miners will need to acquire a higher education as computers become an integral part of the coal mining operation, helping to operate the safety monitoring systems and the machinery.

Technology & Jobs

Technology has enabled the production of coal to increase by as much as 83 percent from 1970 to 2004. Fifty years ago there were 7,200 mines with 335,000 workers compared to 2,000 mines and 104,824 miners today. Coal mining is essential to our modern-day society. Industry and government have joined forces over the last 20 years to find cleaner ways to harness the energy in coal more efficiently.

Choose our Coal Miner Ornament as a unique, affordable gift for your favorite coal miner or history buff.