Interview with Boyd F. Reed, April 5, 1989

Interview Summary

Boyd F. Reed is a former president of the Kentucky Coal Operators Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Coal Association, and the founding officer of the Eastern Kentucky Regional Planning Commission. He and his brother, C.D. Reed, bought a small coal mine in the No. 3 Elkhorn seam in Jacks Creek, Kentucky in February of 1927. They started with thirty men on the payroll. He describes the machinery that they used in those days including a locomotive to pull the mine cars and a coal cutting machine. He describes how the men were paid and starting a company store. Reed discusses the difficulties caused by the flood of 1927. He describes a scary experience when he let a store owner put some merchandise in one of their railroad cars. He and his brother bought more coal mines from Elkhorn Coal Company further down the creek, and later made a deal with Mr. Turner to create the Turner-Elkhorn Coal Company. Reed discusses the trouble between some coal operators and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) during the Great Depression, and he explains President Franklin D. Roosevelt's role in solving the disagreement. Reed also explains how the Big Sandy Coal Association was organized and how he became president of this organization and of the Kentucky Coal Association.

Interview Keyword

B. F. Reed Coal Operators

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Coal miners Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region Reed, B. F. (Boyd Franklin) 1896- Reed, B. F. (Boyd Franklin) 1896- --Interviews

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Interview Usage

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