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Born in the throes of the local coal mining boom of the 1880’s, Frontenac remains an important, thriving community of Southeast Kansas.
“On Aug. 10, 1885, … Frontenac was born, when the Cherokee & Pittsburg Coal and Mining Co. [the coal branch of the Santa Fe Railroad] commenced sinking the shaft of No. 1 mine. [Their first coal mine in the area.] John Kilholland bossed the gang that sunk the air shaft, and Lewis [Luigi] Noventa had charge of the work on the main shaft. Webb Thomas built the first houses, a row of old style company houses, and these with the boarding house … constituted Frontenac camp.
“Chas. Jenkins run the boarding house. Jenkins was very nearly the whole thing at that time. Besides the boarding house he opened a livery stable, owned a grocery store and was pit boss of No. 1. …
“The camp grew rapidly. … Three months after [sinking No. 1] work commenced on No. 2 mine, and eight months after No. 3 mine was sunk. These three mines being sunk brought a great many miners to the camp and company houses cropped up everywhere. Frontenac began to assume something of the appearance of a boom.”
Source: The Pittsburg Daily Headlight, Monday, 2 September 1901, Vol. XIV, No. 119.
Born in 1944 at the old Mt. Carmel Hospital, Pittsburg, Jerry D. Lomshek has been a lifelong resident of Crawford County and the Chicopee area. The grandson of a Slovene immigrant coal miner, he became interested in history at a young age, and began researching family and local history at the age of 14. This being a lifelong passion, he has amassed a mammoth amount of local historical data over the years. He has lectured and written several manucripts concerning the history of Southeast Kansas. From his service in the Navy, and as a registered nurse, he spent 45 years involved in various aspects of health care. Since retiring, he has devoted his time to further local historical research and various community involvement.
