Kathleen Coal Mine Explained

Kathleen Coal Mine
Pushpin Map:Illinois
Pushpin Label:Dowell
Pushpin Label Position:Location in Illinois
Coordinates:37.9403°N -89.2283°W
Country:United States
Closing Year:1946

The Kathleen Mine was a coal mine that operated in the nearby coal town of Dowell, Illinois, United States, from 1918 to 1946. At peak production, its output was 5,000 tons/day of coal. It was operated by the Union Colliery Company in St. Louis.[1] Many miners who worked in the Kathleen were immigrants from eastern Europe,[2] including Rusyns[3]

History

The Kathleen was sunk in 1917 and the mine opened in 1918. It was named for Kathleen McAuliffe who was the daughter of Eugene McAuliffe, the president of the colliery company.[4] [5]

In February, 1920 the Union Colliery Company employed over 300 men with an average monthly payroll of over $35,000.[6]

The mine workers were members of the United Mine Workers union led by John Lewis.[7] Its miners went on strike from 1933 to 1937. They struck for the right to join the Progressive Mining Union.[8]

The Kathleen Mine closed on November 21, 1946. Over its life, over 150 men were killed working there.[9] [10]

Disasters

Afterward

The entrance to the mine has been closed. On the site as of December, 2021 is Cobin's Salvage Yard. There are few remaining signs of the mine that once built the village of Dowell.[16] A small concrete structure, the mine tipple, is the only structure that remains from the mine.[17] [18]

The mine has been suspected of causing sinkholes in the nearby village of Dowell.[19]

New Kathleen Mine

A new mine operated by Union Colliery was opened north of Dowell in January 1946. It was named the New Kathleen. This mine closed in 1947.,[2] [9] Land scars are still visible from this mine.[20]

Notes and References

  1. News: . The Small Neighbor . Southern Illinoisan . January 11, 1990 .
  2. Web site: Dowell to celebrate 100th birthday this weekend. Benton Evening News . John Homan . June 26, 2018 .
  3. Book: Expressions: Folkways in Southern Illinois . Terry Alliband . Southern Illinois University Carbondale . 1980 . 11.
  4. Coal Age . . Coal Age . 14 . 13 . New York . September 26, 1918 . 618 .
  5. Web site: Wayne Hinton . Illinois Coal & Coal Mining History & Genealogy.
  6. News: Du Quoin Call. February 20, 1920 . Dowell State Bank Organized Last Evening . .
  7. News: Urbana Daily Courier . UNITED MINE WORKERS WIN IN WAGE DISPUTE . May 23, 1933 . 2 . .
  8. News: Phil Brinkman . Quiet Present, Colorful Past . Southern Illinoisan . July 20, 1992.
  9. News: . The Cruel Kathleen . Duquoin Evening Call . October 20, 1983 .
  10. News: Perry County Advocate . Kathleen Mine at Dowell Will Be Abandoned . November 28, 1946.
  11. Web site: Dowell, IL Coal Mine Fire, Feb 1921 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods . .gendisasters.com . 1921-02-24 . 2015-10-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151006184426/http://www3.gendisasters.com/illinois/20198/dowell-il-coal-mine-fire-feb-1921 . 2015-10-06 . live .
  12. News: Daily Free Press Carbondale Illinois. 1921 mine disaster . February 24, 1921.
  13. Web site: Wayne Hinton . History of Illinois Coal Mine Disasters 1921 to 1930 . Hinton-gen.com . 2015-10-06.
  14. Web site: Wayne Hinton . History of Illinois Coal Mine Disasters 1931 to 1940 . Hinton-gen.com . 2015-10-06.
  15. Web site: Mine Disasters in the United States . united states mine rescue association.
  16. News: P. Wiseman . The Village of Dowell . Murphysboro American . August 8, 1984.
  17. Book: Kathleen Mine Tipple . 2004 . Christopher Stratton, Floyd Mansberger, Heather Stanley . Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
  18. Web site: John H. Croessman . A lot of junk, but never poor - News - Du Quoin Evening Call - Du Quoin, IL - Du Quoin, IL . Duquoin.com . 2013-10-25 . 2015-10-06.
  19. News: Dowell Sinking- no longer slowly . Southern Illinoisan . February 18, 1971.
  20. Web site: Kathleen Coal Mine in Dowel, IL. Dennis DeBruler. January 25, 2017 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kathleen Coal Mine".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.