SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Before I started writing my debut novel, The Crows’ Omen, I spent considerable time poring over historical documents, researching as much as I could about coal mining and railroad development in southeastern Kansas at the turn of the twentieth century. I felt the characters and storyline needed to be anchored in history as much as possible. In no particular order, I have listed below the sources of information that both inspired my creativity and provided the historical backdrop against which the story unfolds.
1. Annual Reports of the Kansas Inspector of Mines. I spent hundreds of hours reading these reports, devoting more time, perhaps, to this source than all others combined. Spanning from 1884 to 1956, these reports were prepared and written by the Kansas state inspector of mines. The first inspector was E. A. Scammon, who was a mine owner (Scammon, Kansas, is his family’s namesake, I believe). In fact, several of the first inspectors were coal-mine owners or leading company officials, which meant they brought a certain perspective to the job, i.e., they focused on maximizing profits and production and devoted little to items like wage increases or safety improvements. From 1899 on, however, all inspectors were elected by delegates from the local union lodges, which, of course, brought a very different perspective. (In my novel, the protagonist Ian Pendleton was the first inspector of mines elected by the delegates, not appointed by the governor.) The structure of these reports sometimes differs, and some are certainly longer and more complete than others, but each of them generally follows along the same lines. They report on coal production statewide, by county and by company; they also describe the coal mines in operation and even include charts, maps, and other graphics. In addition, they detail the injuries and fatalities of miners from year to year. Explosions, in particular, are given considerable devotion by the various inspectors. I cannot stress enough how important these reports were to both the coal mining industry in Kansas and to the origins of my story. These reports may be viewed at the Kansas Historical Society’s website: https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/210191.
2. Manual of the Railroads of the United States, by Henry Varnum Poor. This reference book was published annually between 1868 and 1924, and it details the history, ownership, equipment, and finances of railroad companies, both big and small, all over the United States . It also identifies the officers and directors of each company, from year to year, and includes maps of the largest railroad systems of the time. Most of the information contained in each volume came from either the companies themselves or public records, including corporate filings with the offices of various secretaries of state. I spent many hours reading corporate histories, researching officers and directors, and learning how corporations structured their debt funding (very exciting, I know). In my novel, I reference Poor’s Manual of Railroads a couple of times, as one of the protagonists, Sawyer Pendleton, used it to research certain railroad companies. In real life, Henry Varnum Poor published it year after year for that very reason. He knew it would be a leading source of information about railroad companies in the US, and he knew many prospective investors would want to buy . It became quite the cottage industry. Volumes of this reference book may be viewed at PacificNG.org.
3. Corporate filings in Kansas and Missouri. The offices of the Kansas and Missouri secretaries of state house corporate filings of all companies incorporated in those states, available digitally on their websites (Missouri Secretary of State (mo.gov) and Kansas Secretary of State | Home (ks.gov)). For old companies going back to the turn of the twentieth century, especially those that have been long defunct, there is often little information to review, but one may contact the secretary of state’s office and request that the corporate records of old companies be scanned and updated on the site. There is no fee, but there may be a delay in the records being copied and published on their website. I like going through old corporate filings because I often find little surprises. For example, in my story I prominently feature the real-life company Central Coal & Coke, which initially began as the Keith and Perry Coal Company, incorporated by Richard Keith and his long-time partner, John Perry. I learned from the corporate filings that the original name changed to Central Coal & Coke in the early 1890s when Arthur Stilwell, a railroad builder in Kansas City, along with businessmen from back East, invested in the company. I can only assume that Mr. Stilwell, an entrepreneur, convinced Mr. Keith and Mr. Perry that growing the company’s capital investments was the only way to survive; after all, Central Coal & Coke was the main supplier of fuel to his railroad (the Kansas City, Pittsburg, and Gulf Railroad, or P&G), and he needed to ensure that it had sufficient capital to adequately and consistently fulfill its obligations (at least that seems entirely logical to me).
4. A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Crawford County, Kansas. This illustrated edition was produced by the Lewis Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois, in 1905. I cited this source of information in the author’s note in the back pages of my novel. It was written entirely by local citizens of Crawford County, called “Home Authors.” The chapters of this book may be viewed at 1905 History of Crawford County Kansas (usgenwebsites.org).
5. History of Cherokee County, Kansas, and Representative Citizens, by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1904. Similar to its counterpart in Crawford County, this book is a valuable source of information for early Cherokee County, Kansas. I used it extensively in learning about Weir, Scammon, West Mineral, and Columbus. The chapters of this book may also be viewed at 1904 History of Cherokee County Kansas, Table of Contents (usgenwebsites.org).
6. Newspapers.com. For a modest fee, anyone may establish an account with newspapers.com, which provides access to more old newspapers than you can ever imagine. Alternatively, if you are a member of the Mid-Continent Public Library, you may be able to access newspapers.com for free via the following website: https://www.mymcpl.org/research-and-learning/research-databases-a-z#N). Other libraries may carry it too, but I cannot say for certain. What I can say, however, is that after joining newspapers.com, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of newspapers that were once produced in southeastern Kansas around the turn of the twentieth century. It was a far a far greater number than I could have imagined.
7. The Black Coal Miner of Southeast Kansas, by John M. Robb. This is a report prepared for and issued by the State of Kansas Commission on Civil Rights in 1969. It provides a wealth of information about the migration of black coal miners from Alabama (mostly around Birmingham) to southeastern Kansas. Mr. Robb was a graduate of Pittsburg State University and devoted his master’s thesis to the same subject. You can download a copy of this report at https//kgi.contentdm.oclc.org . His master’s thesis, “The Migration of Negro Coal Miners from Alabama to Southeast Kansas in 1899,” is available at PSU’s digital library, https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/etd/107.
8. Ghost Towns & Mining Camps of Southeast Kansas and the Surrounding Areas. This is a Facebook page maintained by Chris Aldrighetti of Columbus, Kansas. This Facebook page contains pictures of towns and mining camps in Cherokee County, Crawford County, and elsewhere. It also features living memories of people from the area who fondly recall the cities and places of their youth. This page definitely helped to inspire my novel, providing imagery of a time long ago. The sheer commitment that Mr. Aldrighetti has given to his project has been both exemplary and commendable. You must be a Facebook member to join the group, but the page is set to public viewing, so anyone browsing the web may peruse the pictures and read the comments provided by the members. Here is the link: (6) Ghost Towns & Mining Camps of Southeast Kansas and the Surrounding Areas | Facebook.