an active role in promoting the county's advantages as a site for major power generation facilities and in encouraging local officials and farmers to make the necessary water available to meet Utah Power's needs. By 1970 Castle Valley Mining had almost one hundred employees and was shipping coal from the Wilberg Mine to Nevada Power's generating plants near Las V e g a ~Also . ~ in 1970 McArthur established two other companies: American Kinfolk, Incorporated, to provide security and other services; and Utah-American (UTAM), a mining equipment repair company. UT-AM was sold to the Long-Airdox Company in 1980. In 1972 Utah Power purchased the Deseret and Beehive mines &om the LDS church. McArthur organized American Coal Company and contracted with Utah Power to operate the mines. By the end of 1973, even before the local power plants went into operation, American Coal was employing 140 miners and forty-five truck drivers. At the same time, Peabody employed 130 men at its Deer Creek Mine, and the Browning Mine near Emery had thirty worker^.^ The Emery County Progress-Leader commented in January 1974, The coal is sold before it hits the ground. . . . The comeback of King Coal and modern mining methods and consideration to the miner has lured many native sons and daughters back to the field and beckoned strangers, who have taken the land and people to their hearts. Some want to remain here permanently. . . . It is a standing joke that people born in Emery County are hooked on alkali and suffer withdrawal symptoms when forced to leave for greener pastures. Now that the pastures here are greener than other places, many young couples are marrying, having a trailer or modular home moved in to some of the land their parents have been saving for them, and are rearing families supported by coal mining.7
Coal production increased dramatically as the power plants went on line. By mid- 1976 307 miners were working at Deer Creek to supply the Huntington Plant. In December 1976 Utah Power and Light purchased the Deer Creek and Wilberg properties from Peabody and contracted with American Coal to operate them in addition to the Deseret, Beehive, and Little Dove complex (Des-Bee-Dove).By April 1977American Coal had 709 employees. Two years later the number
