Editing Royalton, Illinois (section)

==Coal mining==

The Big Muddy and Carterville Coal Company opened the North #1 mine in 1907.  It was operated by J. L. Mitchell.  Mitchell bought in box cars and used them as homes for the miners.  These were erected along North Main Street.<ref name="royalhistory"/>

Franklin Coal & Coke Company took over this mine in 1910, and along with its mine south of Royalton, operated two mines in Royalton.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Royalton Mine Explosion |journal=The Colliery Engineer |date=1914 |volume=XXXV |pages=203}}</ref><ref name="Paul"/>  At its peak, the #1 mine (sometimes also referred to as the #7 mine) employed over 600 miners. In 1949 Lyda B mine was opened however it closed in 1952.<ref name="Homan" />

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Memorial to Royalton Mine Disasters.jpeg|thumb|Memorial to the two mine disasters in Royalton]] -->

On October 22, 1914, an [[Royalton North No. 1 Mine Explosion|explosion in the North #1 Mine of the Franklin Coal & Coke Company]] killed 52 miners. This was the worst [[mine disaster]] to date in the coal fields of southern Illinois.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/royalton_news_only.htm |title=Franklin Coal and Coke Company Royalton North No. 1 Mine Explosion}}</ref><ref>"Mine Explosion at Royalton, Ill.", [https://books.google.com/books?id=NYBNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA753 ''Coal Age''], Vol. 6, No. 19 (November 7, 1914); pages 753-757.  Includes several good photos.</ref> Many of the miners killed in the explosion were European immigrants <ref name="Paul"/> Another explosion occurred at the mine on September 28, 1918, killing 21 men.<ref>{{cite news |title=Memorial Services for Mine Disasters to be Held Friday |publisher=Carbondale Free Press |date=Oct 25, 1939 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Franklin Coal and Coke Company Royalton North No. 1 Mine Fire and Explosion |url=https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/royalton_no1.htm |website=Mine Disasters in the United States}}</ref>

The South Mine closed in 1920.<ref name="royalhistory"/> The North #1 mine operated under September, 1951.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mine Index 0057 Franklin County Coal Company, Royalton No. 7 Mine |url=https://ilmineswiki.web.illinois.edu/wiki/0057 |website=ILMINES WIKI}}</ref>