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“The Patch/' as the hundreds of homes in the coal mining: section was known, has completely disappeared.Not a trace of a building can be found. The Clermont of old is as dead as a dodo.The history of Clermont is the his-tory of the coal industry in Northern Pennsylvania, It is the story of the dreams of Jacob Rii rigway that partly came true, then failed. Dreams •that enterprising- capitalists of Buffalo later helped to fulfill.Jacob Ridgway cleared 400 acres of land which later become the site of Clermont in 1S20. He had vlailed ■the ancient city of Clermont in France located on Mount D’Or, which translated means “mountain of gold.” Ridgway believed that bis jands contained beds of coal discovered a few years previously in that section. Engineers working for Jonathan Coi'e-grove finding deposits at the roots of overturned trees.So he called his clearing high on the tablelands of Sergeant township, Clermont He believed he had “a mountain of gold.”So Ridgway, with others, sent a bark load of coal to Philadelphia. Col. Shoemaker wa3 engaged to sell the product. Being an enterprising salesman he had little trouble in disposing of the coal..Then came the hatch. People couldn’t get the coal to burn. One irate householder fussed and fumed with bellows and kindling. Finally he slamjmed the door shut and hurried off to get out a warrant for the*»rtTrtnpl rm a fraud
Newspaper Details
McKean County Democrat
Smethport, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, May 30, 1935
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NA, 19 Jun 2021
Other Publications Near Smethport, Pennsylvania
McKean County Journal
Smethport McKean Citizen
Smethport McKean Miner
Smethport M Kean Miner
Smethport Forester and Smethport Register
