Little Soddy Historic Mining Area
Little Soddy Historic Mining Area Photo descriptions by Cumberland Trails Conference For more information about visiting this area Synopsis of Mining History on the Little Soddy Creek Valley THE FIRST MINE The first mine in the Soddy area was established in 1866 by the Soddy Coal Company. This mine is thought to have been the first tunnel mine in the state of Tennessee. The company was reorganized a number of times until around 1909 when it was bought out by the Durham Coal and Iron Company of the Carolinas, who operated until 1929, when it it was forced to close because of the Great Depression. First, the coal was sent down to the base of the mountain via an incline cable rail system and then pulled by mule, all the way to the Tennessee River. In, the late 1870’s a series of locks and dams were built to allow barges brought up Soddy Creek to the tipple at Long Mine Entrance Spring, halfway to the river. FIBROTHER’S MINE The collapsed mine portal is one of two parallel shaf...