In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, what did agents for land companies do in Kentucky?

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, agents for land companies went through the Kentucky mountain region buying up mineral rights from residents. They often paid as little as 50 cents an acre. The deeds allowed the companies the rights to leave all refuse on the land, pollute the water, and to do anything to get the minerals out of the ground.