Oakwood Quadrangle

Mining in the Oakwood Quadrangle

Mining in this quadrangle began about 1890 with the Missionfield Mine (mine index 3838) and the Fairmount Mine (mine index 3672) and continued through each decade with various mines until ending in 1984, when the Illinois & West Virginia Coal Company closed its operations on the east side of the quadrangle (mine index 1006).

The Danville seam was the only coal mined here, ranging from 4.5 to 6 feet thick. The roof was often poor, with a massive sandy gray shale that came down easily. Horsebacks and rolls were present, but did not appear to greatly hinder mining. The mines on the east side of the quadrangle were shallow and sometimes had water problems, with seepage through joints and cracks in the shale from the Quaternary deposits above.

Note that many of the mines are located within a column of irregular sections. The locations given in this directory follow the convention of orienting the quarter-sections originating at the southeast corner of the section (see page 6, under ‘Shaft, slope, drift or tipple locations’)