Coalville originally began as a settlement known as Chalk Creek. In 1853, Mormon Church president Brigham Young awarded hundreds of acres of farmland to trailblazer and trusted bodyguard "Return" Jackson Redden. Redden first visited the valley around 1846 while scouting trail ahead of advance Mormon pioneers. The first recorded settlement was Redden's ranch, spanning from 100 N. Main Street to beyond the Coalville City Cemetery where he is buried. In 1854, the territorial government in Utah offered a $1000 reward to anyone who could find coal within 40 miles of Salt Lake City. Four years later, Redden and associate Thomas Rhodes found a coal vein in the Chalk Creek area, and coal mining began in earnest.Thompson, Norma Eileen Pyper, A Community Study of Coalville, Utah 1859-1914, pg 42 and 47 - as quoted at Hundreds of tons of coal were shipped to Salt Lake City, and soon a narrow gauge railroad was built.Peterson, Marie Ross and Pearson, Mary M., Echoes of Yesterday, Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Summit County 1947, pg 89 - as quoted at The settlement was then renamed Coalville, as a result of this early success.
Coalville originally began as a settlement known as Chalk Creek. In 1853, Mormon Church president Brigham Young awarded hundreds of acres of farmland to trailblazer and trusted bodyguard "Return" Jackson Redden. Redden first visited the valley around 1846 while scouting trail ahead of advance Mormon pioneers. The first recorded settlement was Redden's ranch, spanning from 100 N. Main Street to beyond the Coalville City Cemetery where he is buried. In 1854, the territorial government in Utah offered a $1000 reward to anyone who could find coal within 40 miles of Salt Lake City. Four years later, Redden and associate Thomas Rhodes found a coal vein in the Chalk Creek area, and coal mining began in earnest.Thompson, Norma Eileen Pyper, A Community Study of Coalville, Utah 1859-1914, pg 42 and 47 - as quoted at Hundreds of tons of coal were shipped to Salt Lake City, and soon a narrow gauge railroad was built.Peterson, Marie Ross and Pearson, Mary M., Echoes of Yesterday, Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Summit County 1947, pg 89 - as quoted at The settlement was then renamed Coalville, as a result of this early success.