Wilberg Mine
The Wilberg Mine (also known as the Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine; MSHA ID No. 42-00080) is a coal mine in Emery County, Utah, approximately  northwest of Orangeville, just north of State Route 29, at the northern terminus of State Route 57. The mine is operated by the Energy West Mining Company (out of Huntington) and owned by PacifiCorp Energy(a division of power utility company PacifiCorp). Most of the coal is shipped by truck to Hunter Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant owned by PacifiCorp's Rocky Mountain Power division, just south of the town of Castle Dale. Location
The Wilberg Mine is located at  (39.321078°, −111.122948°) with its entrance at an elevation of 7,602 feet (2,317 m). History
The mine was started by Cyrus Wilberg in September 1949. In October 1968, the mining rights were bought by Peabody Coal Company, who idled the mine except for limited exploratory mining until March 1974, when energy prices saw a sharp rise. Utah Power & Light (UP&L) (now operated as Rocky Mountain Power a division of PacifiCorp) purchased the rights to the mine on April 18, 1977, and then contracted out operating the mine to American Coal Company. In June 1979 Emery Mining Corporation (EMC) took over operations. In December 1984 the mine employed 326 miners, and 290 of those were working underground on three shifts-a-day, five days a week. Production averaged 11,000 tons of coal per day. After the fire, in 1985, the mine was divided into two separate mines. The mine workings on the west side of the fire seals became the Cottonwood Mine (MSHA ID No. 42-01944). UP&L took over operating the mine, forming UP&L Mining Division, on April 29, 1986, retaining most of the EMC employees. Composer and conductor Mack Wilberg is the son of a former part-owner of the mine. 1984 disaster
It is most notable for the fire on 19 December 1984 which claimed 27 lives: 18 miners and 9 company officials. The disaster was the worst coal mine fire in Utah history. The escape route of the 27 persons was cut off when the fire quickly engulfed the intake of the 5th Right longwall. The fire was caused by a faulty air compressor, which was allowed to run unattended in an area that was not fire-proofed. In his article, "Remembering the Wilberg Mine disaster" in The Salt Lake Tribune, Mike Gorrell says: "MSHA concluded an air compressor with two defective safety devices started the fire, a theory rejected by Emery Mining and the union." Casualties
List of Emery Mining Corporation (EMC) employees who were killed at the Wilberg Mine:

 Phillip Bell
 Bert Bennett
 James Bertuzzi
 David Bocook – (Mine Manager)
 Ricci Camberlango
 Curtis Carter
 Robert Christensen
 Vic Cingolani – (General Mine Foreman)
 Gordon Conover
 Randy Curry
 Owen Curtis
 Roger Glenn Ellis
 James Hamlin – (EMC Vice President of Operations)
 Leroy Hersh
 Brian Howard
 Barry Jacobs
 Gary Jennings
 Lee Johansen
 Joel Nevitt
 Alex Poulos – (General Mine Foreman-Longwall)
 Kelly Riddle
 Ray Snow
 Lynn Robinson
 John Waldoch
 Lester Walls, Jr.
 Nanette Wheeler
 John Wilsey

References

External links
 "Remember Wilberg", 2017 documentary of the 1984 mine disaster

Buildings and structures in Emery County, Utah
Coal mines in the United States
Geography of Emery County, Utah
Geology of Utah
Coal mining disasters in Utah
Underground mines in the United States
W
W
Mines in Utah
PacifiCorp