People also ask
How many people work in the coal industry in West Virginia?
In 2017, 13,22 people were working in West Virginia’s coal industry in total. Of that number, more than 10,000 of the employees worked in underground coal mines. Coal-mining in West Virginia totaled 15,490 jobs in 2015, with 12,555 jobs located in underground mines and 2,935 jobs dedicated to surface mines.
How many mines are there in West Virginia?
West Virginia has 176 identified mines listed in The Diggings鈩? The most commonly listed primary commodities in West Virginia mines are Iron , Manganese , and Aluminum .
What was the significance of the WV mine strike of 1880?
It would be the first of many coal mining strikes in West Virginia. It was the first time the West Virginia militia was used to stop a coal mine strike and set a president for the handling of future mine strikes. In the 1880s, because most of the mines were located too far from established towns, many mining operators built company towns.
What happened to the West Virginia coalfields?
A coal train moves through Thurmond, WV, once a prosperous coal mining town, now abandoned. Photo: kartografia via Flickr CC In the West Virginia coalfields 鈥?on the edge of which my aunt and uncle live, and where I spent holidays and vacations as a kid 鈥?the economic mood ranges from depressed to apocalyptic.