Editing White Haven, Pennsylvania (section)

===Coal mining and railroads===
Early European explorers to the [[Wyoming Valley]] encountered a new form of [[coal]], known as [[anthracite]], that was abundant throughout the [[Coal Region]]. Anthracite was a valuable commodity without a good use. On February 11, 1808, [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]] Judge [[Jesse Fell]] created the first iron grate in the valley to successfully burn anthracite. This invention increased the popularity of anthracite as a fuel source. This led to the expansion of the coal industry in [[Northeastern Pennsylvania]]. 

Throughout the 1800s, canals and railroads were constructed to aid in the mining and transportation of coal. [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne County]] witnessed a population boom with the expansion of the coal mining industry.

The [[Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company]] chartered the [[Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad]] on March 31, 1837, in order to link Wilkes-Barre to White Haven.<ref name="Saylor-1964-37">{{Harvnb|Saylor|1964|p=37}}</ref> Construction of the railroad began in 1839 and was completed in the 1840s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Munsell|1880|p=92}}</ref> The arduous {{convert|19.58|mi|adj=on}} route required the construction of a tunnel and three [[Canal inclined plane|inclined planes]], including [[Ashley Planes]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Tanner|1840|p=143}}</ref>

With the completion of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, the canal industry, which had existed for no more than one generation, faced a rapid extinction. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad moved Wyoming Valley anthracite from its various coal fields to White Haven over the [[Appalachian Mountains]] that had posed such a challenge to settlers for 150 years prior to the development of these rail lines. 

Once the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad reached White Haven, an extensive transportation network expeditiously and economically delivered the Wyoming Valley's anthracite to a waiting market. By 1867, the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]], which was first established in the [[Hazleton, Pennsylvania|Hazleton]] area's coal fields, was linked to Wilkes-Barre, and then in 1869, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was connected to other rail systems in [[New York (state)|New York state]].