Provider: Matt
Young
Profession: Miner
Hometown: Gillette, WY
My name is Matt Young and I am a coal miner that lives
in the Nation’s Capital of Coal Mining - Gillette, WY. First
of all, I would like to thank you all for adopting me and letting me be
a part of your class. I am looking forward to sharing all that I
can about coal mining and living in the west and I hope I can learn more
about living in a large, metropolitan area.
I would like to take some time to tell you a little
bit about me and my family. I was born in Colorado and grew up in
Montana and Idaho. After graduating from high school in Libby, MT
I decided to follow my Father’s footsteps and go to college to become
a mining engineer. I attended college in Butte, MT and after graduating
I started work at one of my company’s coal mines in southern Montana
as an engineer. My wife, who is a dental hygienist, and I have two kids,
a girl and a boy. When I have spare time, which isn’t very
often, I like to hunt, fish, golf, go camping and most other outdoor activities.
Gillette is located in north central Wyoming in between 2 small
mountain ranges, the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. You
guys may have heard of the Black Hills because of a famous National Landmark,
MT. Rushmore. Gillette is a pretty small place compared to where
you live with a population of only about 30,000 people. Most people
in town are employed in some part or another by the coal mines that are
to the north and south of town. There are 13 active coal mines within
100 miles of Gillette and another 2 that are just over 130 miles away in
southern Montana. All of this coal production accounts for over one
third of the nations coal production.
“OK, so you mine coal. Big deal, what do
you do with it that is so important?” you might be asking! Well,
this coal is turned into electricity and there is a very good chance that
this very electricity is powering the lights that are on above your heads
right now. As a matter of fact, over 50% of this great nation’s
electricity is supplied by coal fired power plants.
Please don’t hesitate to send any questions that
you may have about me, my rural culture, or my profession. Once again,
thanks for this opportunity and I look forward to meeting you.
Placements:
2007/2008 – Cheyenne, WY and Washington, DC
