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Early in the history of southeast Ohio, coal was discovered and became the foundation of the area's economy. Belmont County is now Ohio's leading producer of coal with an estimated 5,668 million tons of coal available below the earth's surface. One of the largest earth-moving machines in the world -- the Silver Spade -- is at work just a couple miles north of Flushing, Ohio, in Franklin County. Frequently, the boom of the Silver Spade can be seen moving above the surrounding hills.