Tercio Mine

 

Years of Operation: 1902-1915

Total Production (tons): 1,533,463
Also Known As : Torres, Rincon

 

History

Tercio's development began in November of 1901, yet the first coal production took place in April of 1902.  Tercio was located thirty two miles west of Trinidad at the end of the C&W rail road Terminus. Unlike many other CF&I company towns Tercio got access to the CSCo before the mine was even operational. The CSCo was opened on December 3rd of 1901. The Tercio mine had six drift entries into a coal seam that varied between six and twelve feet in thickness. Roughly eighty percent of the coal produced at Tercio was used in the coke ovens, but the remaining twenty percent was sold as steam coal.

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Establishment of the Tercio company town was exhaustive. CF&I also had established one hundred homes of varying size up to 6 bedroom homes on site before August of 1902, with another four hundred planned. The early production of Tercio was claimed to be one thousand tons per day. CF&I also incorporated the addition of six hundred beehive coke ovens on site the same year.

Coal produced at Tercio for coking came from the Tercio mine as well as the Vega mine.  By 1903 two washeries were established at the west end of the coke ovens  However in 1904 tragedy struck Tercio when the mine exploded and killed nineteen miners. 

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By 1910 Tercio employed around one thousand men, and the company town boasted a population of three hundred families. The town like many CF&I towns offered a school, YMCA clubhouse with a library, barbershop,  and a Doctor.  By 1913 the coke ovens began to operate at a reduced rate of production. By 1915 the mine closed, yet the coking operation persisted on. Over the next two years the Coking operation saw an increase in production most likely coking coal from Primero, but in 1918 the Coking operation closed as well. However with the Mine and coking ovens shut down, the CSCO continued operating until 1949.

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https://scalar.usc.edu/works/mines-of-the-colorado-fuel-and-iron-company/tercio-coal-mine.12

  C.J. Schreck