Editing Roanoke, Illinois (section)

===Coal mining===
The Roanoke area, like most of Illinois, is underlain by rich veins of coal. The second coal shaft in Woodford County was sunk in Roanoke in 1881. Another shaft started in a westerly direction, but this coal was "flinty", or mixed with rock, and digging was discontinued. The mine at its peak employed around 300 men and hoisted 500 tons of coal a day.<ref name=VillageHistory />

As was the case in most small mining towns, life in the mines could be dangerous. In the June 29th, 1906, four men fell 400 feet down the main shaft to their deaths while performing maintenance and improvements to the main shaft.<ref name=VillageHistory /><ref name=Wayne>''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20181005151611/http://hinton-gen.com/coal/woodford.html Wayne's World of History and Genealogy]}}'', Woodford County, Illinois History and Genealogy Featuring Coal Mining</ref><ref name=RCM>''[http://genealogytrails.com/ill/woodford/roaMine.html genealogytrails.com]'', Roanoke Coal Mine</ref> After the accident, the coal mine continued to operate until 1940, when it was permanently closed due to safety concerns and maintenance issues. In 1941, due to its state of disrepair, the tipple at the mine head collapsed into the shaft, leaving a crater. The crater was filled in, and the remaining equipment sold as scrap.<ref name=RCM />

Slate, flint, and other non-coal slag from the old mine was collected into a large mound colloquially called the "Jumbo," on the southern side of the village near where the mine was once located. Since before the mine closed, it is estimated that 800,000 tons of slag from the Jumbo has been used in various road and town improvement construction projects.<ref name=RCM /> Although smaller than its original size, the Jumbo still stands at present, topped with an electric star that is illuminated during the Christmas season.