The Anthracite Region
The Appalachian Revolution
Roughly 300 million years ago, during a geological time known as the Pennsylvania Period, prehistoric peat deposits were compressed as the Appalachian Mountains began to form. The incredible pressure created a harder, denser coal known as anthracite.
Geography
 "The Anthracite Coal Basins" (click to enlarge)
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By 1897, nearly 95 percent of the Western Hemisphere's anthracite supply was found in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Three coal fields comprised the majority of this new found "Anthracite Region": the Lehigh (Middle), Wyoming (Northern), and Schuylkill (Southern).
segment from "Stories from the Mines: How Immigrant Miners Changed America"
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Discovery
In 1838 Ario Pardee began buying land in what would eventually become Hazleton. In 1869, he built shacks to house workers from the nearby breaker; he named it Lattimer.