A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product (e.g., coal, ores) for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars . In the United States, tipples have been frequently associated with coal mines , but they have also been used for hard rock mining .
13-672: The Holy Spirit Chapel in Firesteel, South Dakota was built in 1923 on the east bank of Firesteel Creek. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is also known as the Old Stone Church or the Stone Church. It was designed by architect Alfred Morton Githens and was built by stonemason and contractor Frank Waggoner. It is 26 by 36 feet (7.9 m × 11.0 m) in plan. It
26-417: A coal preparation plant which washes coal of soil and rock, before loading it for transport to market. The term "tipple" may be used interchangeably with coal prep plant. Tipples were initially used with minecarts , also called tubs or tram cars , or mine cars in the U.S. These were small hopper cars that carried the product on a mine railway out of the mine. When a mine car entered the upper level of
39-469: A prairie dog town. A commercial coal mine was opened in 1911. Because of the expensive cost of a railroad , the mine was locally operated until World War I , when the railroad costs dropped and wider markets opened. In 1929, a new dragline was purchased by Firesteel Coal Company, and mechanical stripping was made possible. In 1933, the State Relief Agency opened a new mine about 3/4 of
52-489: A 24-hour electricity plant , 70 miles of telephone lines , and a stockyard . This stockyard turned Firesteel into an important livestock shipping point. With the introduction of new mining technology , fewer workers were required for the mine, and the town began its decline as miners left to find work. A series of fires destroyed businesses. The mine closed in 1968, and the school closed sometime that same decade. Today, most locals are farmers or ranchers . A marker
65-618: A church or other Christian place of worship in South Dakota is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Firesteel, South Dakota Firesteel ( Lakota : Čhaȟlíok'e Otȟúŋwahe ) is an unincorporated community on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation , in Dewey County , South Dakota , United States. It was known for being a prominent coal mining community in the early 1900s. It
78-507: A mile southwest of the town to provide more fuel for people struggling through the Great Depression . However, this mine closed on March 17, 1934, when the government realized that purchasing coal was cheaper than mining it. Runkel Coal was founded by L. P. Runkel in 1935. The company's peak years were May 1941 to April 1942, when 51,743 tons of coal were sold. During this time, 30 truckers were paid 35 cents per ton to load and haul
91-627: Is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau . Firesteel was named for nearby Firesteel Creek. The name Firesteel came from the English translation for the Lakota name for the creek. The Lakota named the creek for the flint found on its banks , which they struck against a piece of steel to make fire . Firesteel was founded in May 1910 as the Firesteel Station. Settlers began traveling to
104-501: The area after rumors of a new township founded over one section began to spread. However, no such township was actually reserved. A post office was founded in February 1911. Businesses began to spring up. The first lots went for sale on September 4, 1912, with the highest lot selling for $ 250. Firesteel was the only coal mining community in South Dakota. The first coal was found in 1907 or 1908 by W. Benoist and A. Traversie in
117-548: The coal from pits to the railcars. In 1947, Ben Dollarhide bought out the Runkel Company and formed the Dewey County Coal Company. Dollarhide added a large tipple to speed loading. In one day, 552 tons of coal were pushed through the tipple. From the 1910s to the 1930s, Firesteel was an important trade hub. At one point, Firesteel included a flour mill , a bank , several businesses, a school ,
130-475: The tipple, its contents were dumped through a chute leading to a railroad hopper car positioned on a track running beneath the tipple. At some facilities, each car was tipped over manually—thus the name, "tipple". In higher volume facilities, each car was placed in a machine called a rotary dump, which rotated the car to dump the coal or ore. In the early 20th century, mine operators began using conveyor belts to load coal and ores into railroad cars, eliminating
143-591: Was deemed notable as the representative work of a master architect, Alfred Morton Githens and possesses statewide significance. Aside from its partner church on the Pine Ridge Reservation , which has been substantially altered, it is one of the few buildings in South Dakota designed by an architect educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts . The other most prominent example in the state is Sioux Falls' St. Joseph Cathedral designed by Emmanuel Masquerey which
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#1732779492383156-494: Was listed on the register in 1974. The remote location of this property, the native stone used in construction, its interesting vernacular Gothic styling and the fact it was designed by a well known eastern architect contribute to its significance. This article about a property in South Dakota on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about
169-978: Was placed on the townsite in 1991 by the Dewey County Historical Society, which tells the town's history. A bucket from the last dragline, the Monighan, is on display next to the marker. To the west of the town, spoil banks are still visible. Though there is still a small agricultural population, the main town is largely abandoned, and it is often considered a ghost town . Firesteel is located in Dewey County . Its coordinates are 45°25′29″N 101°17′07″W / 45.4247065°N 101.2851477°W / 45.4247065; -101.2851477 . It has an elevation of 2,352 feet (717 m). Tipple Basic coal tipples simply load coal into railroad cars. Many tipples had simple screening equipment to sort coal pieces by size before loading. A modern coal mine facility usually includes
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