Mercer C: Coal Valley Mining: Sherrard, IL: #2 and Matherville, IL: #3

Sherrard: (Satellite)

Matherville: (Satellite, according to the topo map below, it was about half way between Main St. & US-67 and north of 130th Ave.)

Both

1912 Milan Quad @ 62,500

I did not know that there was coal mining in northwestern Illinois. Note that this area mined the Rock Island seam. I have not seen that seam before.

Directory

Sherrard

Retro Quad Cities posted
Sherrard, IL: Coal Valley Mining c1908
The Rock Island Southern Railway, an interurban line, approached town from the southwest, went north along the west side of town and then evidently terminated at the mine northwest of town.
Miles W. Rich: In 1908, these tracks were owned and operated by the Rock Island Lines, not the Rock Island Southern. The Rock Island and Mercer County Railroad, a division of the Rock Island & Peoria RR, owned by the Cable Family, owners of the Coal Valley Mining Co., built these tracks in the 1870s to reach their coal mines, and those railroad properties were acquired by the Rock Island Lines in the 1890s. In 1925, the Rock Island Lines "abandoned" these tracks but leased them to the RIS but the RIS soon abandoned them as well because the coal deposits were exhausted. The electrification of the RIS interurban never reached Cable or Sherrard.

Walter Spector commented on the above post

Map

1938 Aerial Photo via ILHAP

Matherville

Retro Quad Cities posted
1909 view of the Matherville, IL shaft #3 coal mine, owned by the Coal Valley Mining Company.
Andy Zukowski posted
Coal Valley Mining Company Shaft No. 3 in Mather, Illinois on July 14, 1909

Map

The tipple was removed before the 1938 aerial photo was taken so I don't include that photo.