“Over One Million Tons of Coal Produced From Dawson Mines During the Year 1923”

“Dawson Boy Scouts Build New Club House”

“Dawson Schools Rank with Best in the State”

These were among the headlines that appeared in a pictorial supplement issued in the spring of 1924 by The Dawson News, the town’s weekly newspaper.

While more company-run house organ than independent journal, The News‘ special 20-page section did offer a detailed look at Dawson one year after the second of its two major mine disasters. To wit:

— Population: 6,000.

— Acres owned: Approximately 50,000, some 32,000 considered coal land.

— Number of mines: Seven of nine in operation at that time.

— Capacity: 7,500 tons of coal per day along with 600 tons of coke.

— Annual payroll: Excess of $3 million.

— Schools: Three grade schools and a high school accredited by the North Central Association of American Universities.

— Churches: Two, one Catholic and one Protestant.

— Entertainment: A theater and gymnasium that house shows, dances and “a wide diversity of entertainments” throughout the year.

— Recreation: Baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis and other forms of recreation “common to a country favored with timber-covered mountains and crystal clear mountain streams abounding with trout.”

Not too shabby for an American “coal camp” of the 1920s.