Organized in May 1876, the Southern Colorado Coal and Town Company engaged in a number of activities in the vicinity of early-day Trinidad, Colorado, including land acquisition, coal mining, and coke processing. The company merged with the Central Colorado Improvement Company in 1879 to form the Colorado Coal and Iron Company. A lawsuit was brought against the company by the U.S. government for allegedly acquiring tracts of coal lands in Las Animas County, Colorado by fraudulent means.