Til the Coal Train Hauled It Away: A Memoir of the Rise and Demise of a Small Town

In 1910 West Terre Haute, Indiana was the fastest growing town in the United States. Its population increased by an astonishing 376 percent from the previous decade. Its growth was spurred by the rich natural resources, coal, clay and gravel, that surrounded it. In essence, West Terre Haute's success was built on holes in the ground. When those resources were depleted, a downward spiral began. This book is an intimate look at the people, events, triumphs and tragedies of the town written by a native son. But it is not just the story of this Indiana town. It is representative of all the areas that relied upon a single industry or resource, from the New England mill towns to the steel towns of the Rust Belt, This book looks at the lives of people who took on life as it came.