King Coal

Originally Aired: June 8, 1938 Cavalcade of America #138, "King Coal," traces America's discovery and struggle to harness anthracite, the hard coal that would fuel the nation's industrial revolution. The episode begins with Father Louis Hennepin's 1679 discovery of coal deposits along the Illinois River, then moves to the pivotal find in Pennsylvania's Schuylkill Valley. Hunter Neko Allen stumbles upon an outcropping of anthracite when his campfire ignites a mysterious black rock ledge. Though blacksmith Whetstone successfully burns the coal in his forge, most colonists dismiss it as worthless. George Shoemaker partners with Allen to mine and sell the anthracite, but faces fierce skepticism. When Shoemaker brings nine wagon loads to Philadelphia in 1812, a hostile crowd threatens to run him out of town, believing him an imposter peddling trick fuel. Only Josiah White, owner of a wireworks plant, agrees to take a chance on the strange black rocks. As the mob turns violent and begins hurling stones, Shoemaker and his driver Ben Williams must flee for their lives, leaving their precious cargo behind while testing whether America will embrace its greatest mineral resource.