Mining Incidents
Search Operators Mines Alerts Research Controllers Fatalgrams About
Countries
Peru Chile
English Español
States › Montana
MSHA mine register by county

Mines in Big Horn County, Montana

Big Horn County, Montana has 22 mines on MSHA's register: 4 active, 1 intermittent, 16 abandoned. 8 are coal mines and 14 metal or non-metal. 5 miners have died and 648 accidents have been reported at these mines between 1983 and 2026. Inspectors have issued 1,287 citations.

Every mine MSHA has registered in Big Horn County, working or not, with the accident, fatality and citation record each one carries on this site. Active mines are listed first, then the rest by the weight of their record.

Abandoned and historical mine features in Big Horn County →

Mines on register
22
Active
4
Fatalities on record
5
Citations issued
1,287
0 underground · 21 surface · 1 facilities 8 coal · 14 metal and non-metal 1 intermittent 16 abandoned 648 reported accidents, 1983–2026
Local economic context
ⓘ County figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Big Horn County, Montana · Population 12,963
3.3%
Mining share of county employment
$56,680
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
On the map 
Loading map…
MSHA-registered mine, any status

Mines plot only where MSHA holds a surveyed coordinate for the site; mines the agency locates to a town, county or state centroid are in the counts and the list above but not drawn. Click a point for the mine's status and record.

Operators with the most mines herecurrent operator of record
Operator Mines Active Fatalities
Big Horn County 3 0 0
Decker Coal Company 2 1 0
Shell Oil Company 2 0 0
Navajo Transitional Energy Company, LLC 1 1 4
Westmoreland Absaloka Mining LLC 1 1 1
Consolidation Coal Company 1 0 0
Croell, Inc. 1 0 0
Gary Lautt 1 0 0
Gilbert Central Corp 1 0 0
Gravel Products Inc 1 0 0
Mines in Big Horn County22 on register
  1. Spring Creek Mine
    Surface coal · Navajo Transitional Energy Company, LLC · MSHA ID 2401457
    Active
  2. Decker Mine
    Surface coal · Decker Coal Company · MSHA ID 2400839
    Active
  3. Absaloka Mine
    Surface coal · Westmoreland Absaloka Mining LLC · MSHA ID 2400910
    Active
  4. Wolf Mountain Coal-Spring Creek
    Facility coal · Wolf Mountain Coal, Inc. · MSHA ID 2402703
    Active
  5. East Decker
    Surface coal · Decker Coal Company · MSHA ID 2401458
    Abandoned and Sealed
  6. Melville Ready Mix Sand & Gravel
    Surface metal/non-metal · Melville Ready Mix Sand & Gravel · MSHA ID 2400453
    Abandoned
  7. PORTABLE CRUSHER #1
    Surface metal/non-metal · Big Horn County · MSHA ID 2401857
    Temporarily Idled
  8. Crusher #2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Gilbert Central Corp · MSHA ID 2401424
    Abandoned
  9. Mehling Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Warrens Transportation & Brokerage LLC · MSHA ID 2402579
    Abandoned
  10. Salveson #1 Portable
    Surface metal/non-metal · Salveson Construction Company · MSHA ID 2401844
    Abandoned
  11. Big Horn County Crusher
    Surface metal/non-metal · Big Horn County · MSHA ID 2401554
    Abandoned
  12. C-11 Portable
    Surface metal/non-metal · Gravel Products Inc · MSHA ID 2401824
    Abandoned
  13. Crusher 3
    Surface metal/non-metal · Croell, Inc. · MSHA ID 2402706
    Abandoned
  14. Cx Ranch Mine
    Surface coal · Consolidation Coal Company · MSHA ID 2401621
    Abandoned and Sealed
  15. Foss Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Reeves Inc · MSHA ID 2401438
    Abandoned
  16. Koebbe Sand & Gravel Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Koebbe Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 2400782
    Abandoned
  17. Pearl Mine
    Surface coal · Shell Oil Company · MSHA ID 2401439
    Abandoned and Sealed
  18. Portable Crusher #2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Big Horn County · MSHA ID 2401858
    Abandoned
  19. S J Kenney Portable Crusher
    Surface metal/non-metal · S J Kenney Construction Inc · MSHA ID 2401517
    Abandoned
  20. YCI McCLOSKEY C3
    Surface metal/non-metal · YOCHUM CONTRACTING INC · MSHA ID 2402807
    Intermittent
  21. Youngs Creek
    Surface coal · Shell Oil Company · MSHA ID 2401216
    Abandoned and Sealed
  22. Mine 2402120
    Surface metal/non-metal · Gary Lautt · MSHA ID 2402120
    Abandoned

Status, type and operator are as reported to MSHA. Fatality and accident counts are MSHA's reportable accident records for the mine; citations are inspector-issued violations on record. Each mine's own page carries the full detail.

Other counties in MontanaAll counties →
How to read these numbers

The register is MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System: every operation ever assigned a mine ID, including ones abandoned decades ago, so the count is a history of mining in the county, not a count of working mines. A mine's county is the one its operator reported to MSHA. Fatality and accident counts start with MSHA's reportable-accident records (1983 onward); citation counts are inspector-issued violations on record. We are an independent research tool, not MSHA.