While Victor Tull is usually credited with discovering high-quality coal seams along the Green River Gorge, lower-quality coal had been noted in the area as early as 1873. That year, Edgar E. Morgan and others incorporated the Green River Coal Co. to exploit their finds. But nothing came of the effort due to a lack of transportation. In the 19th century, without a railroad, or another way to ship products, there could be no coal mine.