Calumet, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Calumet, Pennsylvania
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| Etymology: Calumet Coke Company | |
 Calumet, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Calumet, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Westmoreland |
| Township | Mount Pleasant |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.18 sq mi (5.65 km2) |
| • Land | 2.18 sq mi (5.65 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,145 |
| • Density | 524.99/sq mi (202.71/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
15621
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| Area code(s) | Area code 724 |
| FIPS code | 42-10832 |
Calumet is a small community in Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as a census-designated place, which means it's an area identified by the government for statistics, but it's not a separate city or town. Calumet is located in Mount Pleasant Township in Westmoreland County.
Calumet was once a "patch town" or "coal town." This means it was built by a single company to house its coal miners and their families. The community's history is closely tied to the coal mining industry.
During the Great Depression (a time of severe economic hardship in the 1930s), the Calumet mine closed. This caused big problems for the people living there. Unlike today, there were no unemployment benefits or welfare payments to help them.
Calumet is often linked with a nearby community called Norvelt. For a while, they were counted together in the census. However, they are very different. Norvelt was a special community created by the U.S. government during the Depression. It was designed to help laid-off coal miners and improve their lives.
Contents
Calumet's Population
Calumet is a small community. In 2020, about 1,145 people lived there. The number of people living in Calumet has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 1,145 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
History of Calumet
Calumet was started in 1888 by the Calumet Coke Company. They built houses for their workers. The community had twenty double houses, twelve single-family homes, and some shops.
The workers at Calumet mined coal. They also operated ovens that turned coal into a fuel called coke (fuel). Coke was very important for making steel.
The 1894 Coal Strike
In 1894, there was a big strike by coal miners. Calumet became a place where workers and the H. C. Frick Coke Company had a difficult disagreement. This company was partly in charge of the Calumet Coke Company at the time.
During the strike, some company guards were swimming. Several hundred striking workers captured two of them. The others managed to get away.
Mine Closure and Hardship
The coke works in Calumet closed in the 1920s. Then, the coal mine closed in the early 1930s. This happened during the Great Depression. The closures caused huge problems for the workers and their families. Many people lost their jobs and had no way to earn money.
Calumet Mine and Coke Works
The Calumet Mine & Coke Works began in 1888. It was located along Sewickley Creek in Mount Pleasant Township. The company built 23 houses and 105 "beehive" coke ovens. These ovens were shaped like beehives and used to make coke.
The mine was connected to the Pennsylvania Railroad. About 100 miners worked in the mine. They dug up coal from a thick layer called the Pittsburgh coal seam. Another 75 workers made coke.
Growth and Ownership Changes
By the early 1890s, the Calumet Coke Works grew. It had 225 beehive coke ovens. Each year, the mine produced about 100,000 tons of coal. The coke works made about 60,000 tons of coke.
In 1889, the H. C. Frick Coke Company bought half of the Calumet Coke Company. By 1899, H. C. Frick Coke Company owned the entire Calumet Coke Company.
Under H. C. Frick's ownership, coal production at Calumet Mine increased. This happened even though the company still used hand labor for mining.
Life in the Coal Town
By 1900, over 900 people lived in Calumet. These were the miners and their families. The Calumet Mine produced over 200,000 tons of coal each year. The coke works shipped between 125,000 and 150,000 tons of coke annually.
Robert Ramsey was the superintendent, or manager, of the Calumet Mine & Coke Works for a long time.
Mine Conditions and Production
Mine reports from 1910 described the Calumet Mine. The air quality, or "ventilation," was good in most areas. The "drainage," which means how water was removed, was fair.
Improvements were made in 1910. Workers received 230 new safety lamps. Work also began on safety latches for the mine's elevator, called a shaft cage.
From the 1910s to the early 1920s, Calumet Mine was one of H. C. Frick Coke Company's best producers. In 1914, 260 men and boys worked at the mine. They produced over 225,000 tons of coal and 150,000 tons of coke.
After World War I, production at the mine went down. This was because the company did not update its equipment. Many other Frick mines also faced this problem.
In 1919, Calumet Mine produced 189,557 tons of coal and 69,589 tons of coke. There were 260 coke ovens, with 127 of them working. The mine had 270 employees.
By 1930, the H. C. Frick Coke Company still used eleven mules or horses to pull coal carts in the Calumet Mine. They also had a steam engine and two air-powered locomotives. Production was much lower, only about 9,000 tons of coal. The Calumet Coke Works had already been shut down by this time.
Around 1932, the H. C. Frick Coke Company closed the Calumet Mine for good. Some miners were sent to the Standard Shaft Mine nearby. However, many coal miners lost their jobs. They were left without any pay or support during a very difficult time.
See also
In Spanish: Calumet (Pensilvania) para niños
