Stokes Coal Mine, Mesa County, Colorado [1905] Mesa Colorado USA A coal mine that was located east of Palisade along the old wagon road to De Beque in the early Twentieth century. The mine was owned and operated by Scottish immigrants Walter Stokes and Catherine (Dewar) Stokes. Walter Stokes had lived and mined previously in Scotland and Rockville, Colorado. After labor strife that precluded him working for the same mine because he was a union member, he came to the Pear Park area of Mesa County with the intention to farm, arriving sometime around 1890. He did farm for several years, but missed the mining life. According to US Census records, Walter Stokes was working as a farm laborer in the Allen area of Mesa County in 1900, and so must have moved his family to Palisade and opened the Stokes Mine sometime between 1900 and 1910. William Dewar Stokes, Walter's son, hauled coal into Grand Junction by wagon every day until Walter purchased land next to the railroad tracks to be used as a coal yard. William then lived in Grand Junction and ran the coal yard for the family. Sometime around 1913, Walter Stokes was diagnosed with Black Lung and could no longer work in the mine. At that time, William took over the mining operations. Catherine weighed the mine cars. According to Anne Stokes, who married William and helped him in the mine, the area of the mine totaled 40 acres in the years before his death in 1947. She recalled only one serious injury over the life of the mine, when a miner broke his leg. “Dead work” was done during the summer, when the air could be tested daily for dangerous conditions. yes yes