In 1901, John Munroe Longyear collected coal in Adventdalen, envisioning its potential. Back in the USA, analysis results were promising. Four years later, his nephew, backed by Longyear, established Mine 1a and Camp Longyear. Initially basic, the camp evolved into Longyear City by 1916. Community facilities like a hospital and church were added.
Unfortunately, the settlement was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. Only the stilts on which the old buildings were erected still protrude from the ground today.
