Big Business Coal, Steel, and Oil By Brant Zeerip

Coal Mining All coal is not a true mineral, but composites of trees, shrubs, and plants. The coal industry started in West Virginia. When coal first started, it was mined with picks and shovels. The process was slow because the owners of the mines did not want to buy new equipment. In 1890, mechanical equipment started to become a big part in mining, with the electric coal cutting machine. The coal was used for fueling trains and heating spaces because it burnt better than wood charcoal. It became a major energy source for the United States in the late 1800s.

Oil Mining The oil was used for lighting old lamps and once inventors started to work with motors they needed a cheap fuel energy source. Oil was known as a main power source in the late 1800s. Oil is also known as petroleum. Oil prospectors were known as wildcatters.

Big Oil Businessman A major player in the oil industry was John D. Rockefeller. He started with putting money into a company in Cleveland, Ohio. Then seven years, later he created the Standard Oil Company. He owned the largest share of this company. The Standard Oil Company played a big part in developing the oil industry.

Steel Mining Steel was another big industry in the late 1800s. The converting of steel to an item was very expensive and the steel was only used for knives, swords, and armor.

Major Steel Businessman A major person in the steel industry was Andrew Carnegie. He was born on November 25, 1835 as a Scottish person, but he and his parents immigrated to the United States. He made the Freedom Iron Company in 1861, that later became a great steel company. His company was first in England but then he saw the potential in the United States and expanded his company. He became a major force in the American Steel Industry. He made a fortune off the steel industry. He was a millionaire and an industrialist. He died on August 11, He helped develop the United States.

Sources: Coal History, The Mining Boom, Coal Use, John D. Rockfeller, Wikipedia; History of the Steel Industry, Andrew Carnegie, Coal Mining, Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 5, Origin of Coal, pg Oil as a Power Source, United States History, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2007, Section 1 The Second Industrial Revolution, p