Eagle River Coal is a surface mine operation founded by Tom Franks and family. Located in Southern Illinois, our mine no. 1 produces around one million tons of coal a year. We ship primarily to electricity generators in Illinois and the Midwest region. With a commitment to family, safety, and the environment, we are a leader in the mining industry.  Tom Franks founded the Arclar Company in 1983 as a family owned coal company.  It grew from 19 employees and 120,000 tons annual production to 600 employees and 6,000,000 tons annual production.  Arclar was bought out by Peabody Coal in 2002. Tom Franks then formed the family owned Eagle River Coal, LLC which operates a surface coal mine south of Harrisburg, Illinois.