The history of Montana's coal industry is so tightly linked to the development of Montana's railroads it raises the classic chick-and-egg question of which came first.
Montana's coal mining history records settle the debate on the side of the railroads, and the Bearcreek mines are a prime example.
Indeed, Montana's coal and rail industries were so entwined one could not prosper without the other. Though high-quality coal was discovered in Bearcreek in 1866, there was no market opportunity for the coal, and the vast high-grade resources were left untouched.
But with the construction of the Montana, Wyoming and Southern (MW&S) rail line, the region's high-quality coal would now have a commercial outlet. Bearcreek's coal mining industry quickly burgeoned. By 1907, Bearcreek had four mines operating in full force.
As the history of Montana coal mines demonstrates, the Bearcreek coal mines depended on the MW&S to haul their coveted high-grade coal to the Northern Pacific station in Bridger, a major transportation and distribution point. The MW&S similarly relied on Bearcreek's high-producing mines for its own revenue. In their mutually-dependent roles, each industry helped the other stake out an important place in Montana's coal mining history.
