The 1960s and 1970s
The coal mining operation Homer Scott opened at the Big Horn Mine in 1944 was a small one. It was mainly a way to keep the company’s highway construction equipment busy during the winter months. In 1958, exploratory work near Hanna, Wyoming indicated sufficient coal resources were available to justify mining, and by 1959, the Rosebud mine was in operation. In the late 1960s, air pollution became an issue, prompting the need for low-sulfur coal. The nation’s largest supply was in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana, near Kiewit’s Sheridan office.
Decker Coal Company, in the Powder River Basin, was established in 1970. The operation consists of two distinct mining areas, East Decker and West Decker, separated by the Tongue River Reservoir. The Black Butte Mine, near Rock Springs, Wyoming, was established in 1974 and is one of the largest surface coal mines in the United States, covering more than 70 sq. mi.
Also in the 1970s, the massive James Bay hydro project in northern Quebec began. Over the years, Kiewit built over a billion dollars of dam and powerhouse facilities on the La Grande and East Main rivers. Today, Kiewit is one of Canada’s leading contractors, with offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal.
Bob Wilson became President of the company in 1969, with Peter Kiewit remaining as Chairman. Bob stepped down in May 1979 for health reasons, and Walter Scott, Jr., who had served as Executive Vice President since 1965, became President at the relatively young age of 48.
In November 1979, Peter Kiewit died as a result of complications following removal of a tumor on his left lung. Most of his estate went into the Peter Kiewit Foundation, one of the largest charitable organizations in the nation, and one that holds no ties to the company that bears his family’s name.