ABSTRACT
The first announcements concerning development near Sagebrush through the onset of actual mining activities, locals felt a great deal of uncertainty about what was going to happen and a great deal of dissatisfaction concerning Bighole's actions. Coal development and its "people pollution" specifically threatened the freedom, absence of regimentation, isolation, and quiet that ranch life offered, as well as the aesthetics of the area. Builders in Sagebrush feared there would be a short boom followed by a bust in the community. Predevelopment residents resented cost-of-living increases due to the influx of newcomers, whose presence required immediate expansion and renovation of the city's aging water and sewage systems. A major and particularly upsetting impact of development fell on Sagebrush's two schools, which had always been the focal point and center of activity in this community.
