Got Coal?

Surface coal seams are found in some areas. If you can buy a piece of land that has a coal seam (and mineral rights to go with it), so much the better! Coal burns much hotter than wood, so you will need a special cast iron grate, or else the coal will fairly quickly burn out the bottom of your stove. Whether you burn wood, coal, propane, or home heating oil, lay in at least a two-year supply. If you use oil or propane, set yourself up with a back-up wood or coal stove to use when your liquid fuel runs out. DO NOT buy a pellet stove. It will become a useless ornament once the power grid goes down. Yes, I know that some pellet stove models can run with a battery. But even if you have a foolproof solar-charged battery arrangement, where will you find wood stove pellets in a long term TEOTWAWKI?

Coal is plentiful in a number of regions such as the Powder River Basin. (Around Gillette, Wyoming.) Do some research before you talk to real estate agents.
For more on coal deposits in the U.S., see the DOE’s State Coal Resources Map.