Coal Discovered in Marshall in 1859

From "Walking Through History on Marshall Mesa," by Joanna Sampson, City of Boulder Open Space Department:

"In 1859 William Kitchens discovered coal in the area. He named his discovery the Washington Lode, and it was used as a wagon mine by early settlers. A wagon mine was just what the name implied: clients drove their teams and wagons to the mine, loaded the coal they needed for domestic use, and hauled it home to burn in heating stoves and kitchen ranges.
Joseph Marshall and wealthy associates saw the potential in developing a lucrative mining operation. Marshall purchased the Washington Lode from William and Nancy Kitchens in 1866 and then applied for ownership of the remaining coal lands. In 1868 he obtained a United States Land Grant, signed by President Andrew Johnson, that gave him legal rights to all coal lands around Marshall."

In 1873, Arch Marvine, geologist with the Hayden survey team wrote: "Marshall Mine on the east side of the valley of the South Bowlder (sic) Creek about 5 miles SE of Bowlder City was amont the earliest worked in Colorado."