Pg. 32, 45 (table), 66, pl. 1. Bidwell coal member of Spoon formation (new) of Kewanee group (new). Proposed for previously unnamed coal. Forms lowermost member of Spoon formation in southeastern Illinois. Thickness about 6 feet. Underlies New Burnside coal member (new). Age is Pennsylvanian. Report presents new rock-stratigraphic classification of Pennsylvanian strata in Illinois. Cyclical classification retained but is entirely independent of rock-stratigraphic classification.
Type locality: in NE/4 SE/4 SW/4 sec. 5, T. 11 S., R. 4 E., Marion 15-min quadrangle, Johnson Co., southeastern IL. Named from Bidwell School, about 0.75 mi southwest of type locality.

Source: Publication; US geologic names lexicon (USGS Bull. 1200, p. 325).

Because previous authors had misidentified the golden sandstone of the Spoon Formation as the Murray Bluff Sandstone Member of the Abbott Formation, they assigned the Delwood Coal to the Abbott Formation. Recent mapping and palynological study show that the Delwood Coal is above the Murray Bluff Sandstone and that it is equivalent to the Bidwell Coal (of Kosanke and others, 1960). Therefore the name Bidwell is abandoned as Delwood has priority.

Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Reston GNULEX).