Coalville, IA

Coalville lies on the east bank of the Des Moines River in Webster County, near U.S. Route 20 and the Fort Dodge gypsum country. Its name comes directly from the coal seams that drew early miners to the river valley. In 1870, a mine at the Coalville locality was connected to the railroad by two miles of track, and private engines hauled coal toward the Illinois Central. The Fort Dodge Coal Company later prospected around the settlement and operated a series of mines, making Coalville one of Iowa's northern coal districts.

ATTRU.S. Department of Agriculture Preston Keres/Office of Communications-Photography Services Center / Public domain

Coal mining shaped the map, the workday, and the mix of people who came to Webster County for jobs. Rail lines gave the mines an outlet north, while nearby Kalo and Lehigh formed part of the same coal belt. The historic mines are gone, but the river, farm roads, US 20, and the Fort Dodge area still organize daily connections. Coalville falls within the Fort Dodge Community School District, with Butler Elementary serving younger students. It is a small river community carrying an industrial name into a landscape now shared by homes, fields, highways, and the mineral economy around Fort Dodge.