CC, Booker T. Washington, and Fred Mooney were far from the only child miners in West Virginia.  Another fatherless young miner was Frank Keeney who started mining at the age of twelve.

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Frank’s great grandson, relates that as a young trapper boy Frank was almost crushed to death by a frightened mule.  He only escaped by…well you’ll have to wait for the next illustration to find that out.

The title ‘Everyone Starts out as a Trapper Boy’ is mostly correct for miners who started as children in the bituminous coal mines of WV. Those who started a little older might be assigned as mule drivers or perhaps even pickers.  In other areas of the world mining anthracite coal, boys might start as breaker boys before moving on to work as trappers.

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