Muchakinock, IA, 1877; East Des Moines Township; Mahaska County; Iowa

Muchakinock, IA, 1877; East Des Moines Township; Mahaska County; Iowa

Muchakinock, formerly known as Coal Valley, was a town created solely for the purpose of coal mining. H.W. McNeil (a.k.a. Big Mac) and his younger brother W.A. McNeil (Little Mac) were responsible for the founding of the town. At one point, Muchakinock was the largest mining town in all of Iowa, inhabiting between 1500-1800 people in 1887. Muchakinock is also a great story of diversity within a community. Muchakinock's population was split half white and half black. There were four churches in the community in 1887. Two of them were reserved for white chuchgoers while the other two were reserved for black churchgoers. After the McNeil's sold out their coal mining operation to the Consolidated Coal company for $500,000 in the 1880's, the mining town gradually dissipated so that within one generation, the coal industry and town of Muchakinock vanished. This is a map of Coal Valley soon to be Muchakinock in 1877.

Mahaska County Historical Society

Mahaska County Collection

Curtis Media Corporation: Dallas, Texas

2008-07-14

www.wmpenn.edu/library/library/about.html

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Wilcox Library

http://cdm16125.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p270701coll6,47