Winding Gulf Operators Association

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

The Winding Gulf Operators Association was formed in 1901, and made up of coal operators in the Winding Gulf Coal Field of Raleigh and Wyoming Counties. According to an entry in the West Virginia Encyclopedia (pub. 1929) the purpose of the association "gathers and disseminates information of a statistical nature relating to the producing, transporting, and marketing division of the coal industry, and serves as a forum for the open discussion of the common problems of the industry by the operators. It cooperates with the National Coal Association, and the Smokeless Coal Operators' Association on matters of national, State, or local concern." On at least one occasion the organization participated in cooperative-advertising with the New River Coal Operators Association.

While mine owners' or mine operators' associations were often formed for the purpose of preventing union organization at the operators' coal mines, the organizations were also attempting to combat the harassment and manipulation of the coal companies by the railroads. This subject is discussed in more depth in the article on the New River Coal Operators Association.

Another mine owners' association, the Smokeless Coal Operators Association was made up of coal operators from the Pocahontas, New River, Winding Gulf, Tug River, Logan and Williamson coal fields of West Virginia. The term, smokeless coal (http://www.wva-usa.com/history/mthope/smokeless.php), referred to the low volatile coal of the New River, Winding Gulf, and Pocahontas coal fields of Southern West Virginia, which came to be commonly referred to and widely marketed as smokeless coal because it produced very little smoke when burned.