And some of them were bought for nuisance. Between January 1993 and July 1998, land holding companies associated with Ashland Coal and Arch Mineral Corp. bought more than 190 properties in Logan County, according to deeds on file with the Logan County clerk. The sales of Blair property have drawn widespread national media attention. Vacated and quickly stripped, at least two dozen have been burned down by one or more arsonists. Now, there are 60.
People here say that in the old days, communities turned into ghost towns when the coal ran out.
Now, they turn into ghost towns when mountaintop mines move in. In July, the Moores' lawyers deposed Arch Coal land appraiser Ronna Hatfield. She testified that the Dal-Tex mine had lowered property values in Blair and made it more difficult for residents to sell. Arch Coal officials say they paid Blair residents fair market value for their homes. But, for the residents, the deals didn't come without other prices.