Explore Jaw-Dropping Scenery and Kentucky’s Coal Mining Heritage

Kentucky is known the world over for its bourbon trail, horse racing and its jaw-dropping scenery, however there is so much more to the Bluegrass State on a deeper level. Literally.

Much of the coal that has helped fuel the nation and the world for much of the last 200 years was mined and processed in the heart of the Kentucky. 

As coal helped to build the nation, a unique and vibrant culture sprung up in the communities in which it was mined. A culture that lives on today all over this great commonwealth. 

There are several destinations in Kentucky that offer a way to remember and celebrate the spirit of those tight-knit Kentucky communities. Destinations such as Portal 31 Coalmine. 

Mining towns sprung up all over Appalachia and parts of Western Kentucky in the 19th and early 20th Century.  For instance, in 1917 the U.S. Coal and Coke Company built a coal mining camp deep in the Kentucky wilderness, just a mile from the Virginia border.  The camp, named Lynch after the company’s chief executive, grew into one the biggest mining operations in the world, setting records for single-shift coal production in 1923.  

By 1940, people flocked to the town at the edge of Harlan County due to its reputation as a model coal camps in Appalachia because of its quality health care, education, housing, social services, wages, benefits, and recreation.  

The mine was shut down in 1963 and in the decades since the Portal No. 31 Underground Mine Tour offers visitors the unique experience of touring an actual coal mine by rail car. Visitors will experience travelling through a coal mine as the enjoy animated exhibits along the tour. 

Outside Portal 31 stands a black granite monument in tribute to long time president of the United Mine Workers John L. Lewis and a memorial to U.S. Steel District #1 miners who died in mining accidents. The site also features a 1920s lamphouse, bathhouse, L&N train depot and loadout system. A walking tour around the site includes signage that explains the history of the Portal 31 mining complex. 

In addition to mining history, Portal 31 is also a featured stop on the Kentucky African American Heritage Trail due to African Americans making up more than a quarter of the town’s population and workforce. 

For those who want to combine Kentucky’s gorgeous scenery and learning about the state’s coal history, checkout the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.  

This excursion on the historic Kentucky & Tennessee Railway line will take you on a picturesque 45-minute trip to Blue Heron, where visitors get to explore the beautiful and historic scenery, with a 45-minute trip back to the depot, including a narration and history of the area on a ide through the scenic mountains of Southern Kentucky and stop at the historic Blue Heron Mining Camp. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway takes a 14-mile trip down to Blue Heron, the largest interpretive collection of historic coal mining in America.