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California Coal Mining Town named "Tesla" in 1897

Above: Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) at the age of 38.

John Treadwell, a San Francisco millionaire, gave a California mining town the name "Tesla" after Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a renown electrical inventor. With rapid growth in California and the need for cheap fuel, Treadwell saw a ready market for the untapped coal deposits in Corral Hollow in California.  After learning the extent of the coal field, he quietly purchased the coal properties so that he could start mining.

John Treadwell, founder of the Tesla coal mines and the town "Tesla", was inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame.  He was a great admirer of Nikola Tesla.  Treadwell attempted to use his alternating current generator to transport power to local cities by burning Tesla coal, but this plan never took off.  He named the mine and town after Nikola Tesla as a result.  Tesla, CA, became important in other ways as seen in the book, "History of Tesla: A California Coal Mining Town" by Dan L. Mosier and Earle E. Williams.

Mines Road Books
P.O. Box 3185
Fremont, CA 94539