Strip Mining Comes to Big Creek

On a bright sunny day in late October 1947, several big red and black trucks passed our school, just before morning recess. They were headed up Perry County’s Big Creek, where most of us lived. We had seen big trucks before on our little dirt road, but never three just alike, all in a row. We were familiar with log trucks and a few coal trucks, even knew most of the drivers. These three oversize Mack trucks had writing on their doors, but they were too far away to read it.