In early Kewanee, coal was king
Star Courier
When the purchasing committee for the Wethersfield colonists arrived in 1836 to buy land in Henry County, they found coal in Section 19 of what became Wethersfield Township. After the settlers arrived the next year, they opened what likely was the first coal mining operation in Henry County to power their saw and grist mills.
By the time the railroad began surveying for its route in 1851, the colonists were already aware of coal in Section 29 of what would become Kewanee Township. Not long after the village which would become Kewanee was platted and the first train arrived in 1854, coal mining operations began in the township.