Eastland Creek is a stream located on the Kenai Peninsula that flows south for 3 miles (5 km) to Kachemak Bay, approximately 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Homer. The name “Eastland Creek” was first recorded and published on maps by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1950s.

The Kenai coalfield spans approximately 1,100 square miles (2,850 sq km) on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula, between Tustumena Lake and Kachemak Bay. The coal seams are embedded in about 5,000 feet (1,524 m) of non-marine sedimentary rocks from the early Paleogene period. Bedrock is exposed at beach bluffs and along larger streams, such as Eastland Creek, due to glacial and alluvial deposits from the Quaternary period. The coal is relatively low-grade, ranging from lignite to sub-bituminous, with seams measuring 3 to 7 feet (0.9 to 2.1 m) thick. Although mining has been attempted periodically since 1888, very little coal has been produced commercially.

In 1894, the North Pacific Mining and Transportation Company began commercial coal exploration in Eastland Canyon. The company erected three buildings and a short pier at the canyon’s mouth and constructed a tramway to a tunnel on a coal seam 0.5 miles (0.8 km) up the canyon. At least 650 tons (590 tonnes) of coal were mined and shipped to San Francisco for testing. Prospecting in Eastland Canyon continued until 1897 but was eventually abandoned due to high extraction costs and low coal value. Read more here and here. Explore more of Eastland Creek and Kachemak Bay here: