The boost to the township came with the discovery of coal in the area. Railroads required tremendous amounts of coal, and although much coal was mined in Des Moines, early in the 1880's the supply was dwindling. Coal fueled the growth of Grant Township and the first town in the Pleasant Hill area.
Christy Coal Mine Gives Birth to Youngstown
In 1889, Joseph M. Christy opened a coal mine between the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railway tracks just east of Four Mile Creek. (There is conflicting evidence about this date. Title abstracts show Christy purchased mineral rights to part of Frederick's estate in 1888 and bought the land in 1889. Incorporation papers show that Christy was incorporated in 1889. However, other histories put the date of the opening of the mine in 1885.)
Christy opened a company store and boarding house, built shanties for workers, and paid for construction of a new school, and the town Youngstown sprung up. (The town was reportedly named after Youngstown, Ohio, the town from which many of the miners had come.) The coal company also provided free burial at the new cemetery in Youngstown.
The Smith-Lowe Coal Company opened a mine in 1889, in Carbondale, located just east of Youngstown Also, Gibson mine #2 which bordered the Christy mine on the northwest opened in 1895 (the mine shaft was located between the railway tracks), and the Economy #1, located to the north of Christy, opened later.
The mines attracted miners, and the population of the area grew accordingly. Four Mile Township's limits were expanded back to Four Mile Creek in 1890 when Grant Township was dissolved, and the expanded township had a census of 697. The increased population and business led to the opening of a post office in Youngstown on January 1, 1891 by William H. Perkins.