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Railroad had been dismantled in the early days of the war) ; <br /> they were inclined at an angle which convinced most mining <br /> engineers that modern machinery wouldn' t work; the rugged <br /> terrain indicated that the cover over the coal seams increased <br /> very rapidly ; the seams were known to contain much explosive <br /> methane gas ; the seams were faulted ; and all in all , the <br /> properties appeared to have too many problems for the companies <br /> to cope with. <br /> It was the foresight and determination of Leighton <br /> S . Wood which finally led to the successful development of <br /> the Coal Basin deposit . Mr . Wood , experienced in coal <br /> operations and coal and coke wholesaling in the East and <br /> Midwest , began looking for a high-grade metallurgical coal <br /> • supply for the western steel industry in the early 1950 ' s . <br /> He evaluated numerous deposits in the West , including those <br /> north of Coal Basin, in the Thompson Creek and Marion areas , <br /> but rejected all of them because of their inferior quality . <br /> Mr . Wood finally determined that the coals in Coal Basin <br /> were the best available in the Rocky Mountain region, and <br /> after an extensive prospecting program proved that sufficient <br /> reserves existed for a large-scale operation, both private <br /> and Federal leases were negotiated covering several thousand <br /> acres . These leases were issued to the company Mr . Wood had <br /> run for several years -- the Mid-Continent Coal and Coke <br /> Company. <br /> The opening of the Dutch Creek No . 1 Mine by Mid- <br /> • <br /> 10 <br />