Amid the rugged hills and valleys of Northeastern Pennsylvania, even in the 21st century, the stark legacy of the anthracite coal industry is etched deeply into the earth.

This 1964 snapshot reveals the undeniable scars across the Coal Region, where the pursuit of energy carved the landscape on the surface and thousands of feet below the surface. Though the exact location of the photograph is unknown, it stands in for landscapes from northern Dauphin County to northeastern corner of the Wyoming Valley.

Even as nature tries to heal, a century of strip mining narrates a story of economic boom and bust and ecological sacrifice.

A stark reminder of the region’s importance during the nation’s Industrial Revolution and the ongoing evolution of our nation’s energy needs, these landscapes continue to recover from the damage inflicted by two centuries of human and mechanized toil to unearth anthracite coal.

---

Read more about environmental history in the Coal Region

“Killed all the fish for miles around” – A lament for Coal Region waterways – 1895

A 1938 photograph shows desolate Coal Region landscape during the Great Depression

An August 1962 report warned of escalating disaster in Centralia

---