W. J. McGinnis started mining coal at the bottom of Hogsback in the winter of 1887-88. Margy Brawley's grandmother told her that he opened the mine to keep the cabin warmer. They had had a hard time keeping warm during the previous winter. W. J. never sold the coal; he just shared it with his neighbors. After they had dug into the hill, W. J. built an ore cart and carved wheels for it out of wood. The rails were made from aspen trees.