Editing Scofield, Utah (section)

===Discovery of coal and coming of the railroad===
[[Coal]] was discovered in the valley in 1875, and two years later a small mine was opened on the western slopes of the canyon, with the coal transported out along narrow roads. The winter of 1877 came early and was very severe, stranding the miners in the coal pit and keeping them snowbound until the following February. The ordeal led the miners to name their forced camp "[[Winter Quarters, Utah|Winter Quarters]]". It became one of the first commercial coal mines in the state. Most of the first miners at the Winter Quarters were [[Mormon]] converts from the coal districts of [[Wales]], [[England]] and [[Scotland]]. One of them, David Williams, leased the Winter Quarters Mine from the Pleasant Valley Coal Company from 1880 to 1885, operating in the dual capacity of mine manager and [[bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishop]] of the local [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] [[Ward (LDS Church)|ward]].  When the [[Rio Grande Western Railway]] acquired the coal company, they undertook the development of a new mine on Mud Creek, a mile from Winter Quarters, much to the chagrin of Williams, who protested that the new mine infringed on his lease. Because Bishop Williams controlled the Mormon miners, the Pleasant Valley Coal Company brought in [[History of Chinese Americans|Chinese laborers]] to work the Mud Creek mine. Soon a large contingent of [[Finns]] were recruited, along with [[Italians|Italian]], [[Greeks|Greek]], and other [[Scandinavia]]n workers.<ref name=edge/>

As coal veins commenced to be worked, it was not long before the discoverers found out that the supply seemed inexhaustible. The railway companies finding that the coal fields were of such magnitude and covered so much territory, began to survey for practicable routes to reach the coal. The route through [[Spanish Fork Canyon]] was finally decided upon, and a [[narrow-gauge railroad]] was built into Scofield. Before the railroad was completed, winter set in, and the last few miles were laid upon the ice and snow as it was impossible to find the ground due to the snow drifts. The [[Union Pacific]] Coal Company claimed all of the land on the town site, and those building a home were compelled to lease the spot of ground desired from this company. Not knowing how long they would be permitted to remain as laborers in the mines, the men did not build elaborate homes, as they knew that should the work cease, they would be compelled to sacrifice their homes. Log cabins were the order of the day, as lath and plaster was out of reach on account of high prices. The Union Pacific still continued to collect their ground rent, and the knowledge that the miners had of the company that was ruling the camp at that time deterred them from beautifying their homes as they desired.
[[File:Scofield Jail.jpg|right|thumb|Scofield Utah's historic jail]]
However, this state of affairs was not to continue for long, as the rights of the company to hold the land came to be questioned. Part of their land was [[land claim|jumped]], and their title was found to be imperfect. In fact, they had no title whatever to the land now incorporated in the townsite. The business district was more than a mile long and boasted dozens of substantial stone buildings, including an [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows|Odd Fellows Hall]].<ref name=disast/> As the mine and the community grew, new and more efficient methods were sought to move the coal from the mines, and so the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railroad was constructed, running from Springville to Winter Quarters and Scofield. It connected with the [[Denver & Rio Grande]] line in [[Colton, Utah|Colton]] {{convert|18|mi}} to the northeast.<ref name=edge/>

In 1882, the Utah Fuel Company took over the mine and town, and it soon became a subsidiary of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. The region continued to thrive until 1900, when there were several hundred men in the mines and residents that numbered as high as 1,800. The mine was considered to be the safest in the region and according to reports, was free from the gases that plagued so many other coal operations.

[[File:ScofieldMineCoffins.jpg|left|thumb|Coffins waiting for transport to disaster site]]