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History
Explorer John C. Fremont first chanced upon coal here in 1843, but it wasn't until 1881 that the Union Pacific opened the first underground mine. Things really began to prosper when Patrick J. Quealy and his partner Mahlon S. Kemmerer established the Kemmerer Coal Company. The operation moved above ground in 1950, and the Kemmerer mine became the Pittsburg & Midway Coal Company, now a subsidiary of Chevron. Located six miles south of Kemmerer, the mine is the world's largest open pit coal mine. James Cash "JC" Penney founded his chain upon moving to Kemmerer in 1902 to open a dry goods store for the booming mining town. The original J.C. Penney store is still a thriving retail outlet.
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