What happened in Matewan West Virginia in the early 1900s?

What happened in Matewan West Virginia in the early 1900s?

The Battle of Matewan (also known as the Matewan massacre) was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County and the Pocahontas Coalfield mining district, in southern West Virginia. The dead included two brothers of the detective agency’s founder and Matewan’s mayor Cable Testerman, who supported the union.

Who won Battle of Blair Mountain?

Battle of Blair Mountain
Date August 25 to September 2, 1921
Location Logan County, West Virginia 37°51′45″N 81°51′23″WCoordinates: 37°51′45″N 81°51′23″W
Resulted in Tactical law enforcement–military victory Bill Blizzard acquitted of treason Most arrested miners are acquitted or receive short prison sentences

Do they still coal mine in West Virginia?

West Virginia is among the top three states in the nation in recoverable coal reserves at producing mines. Most of West Virginia’s coal production and reserves are found in underground mines.

What caused the West Virginia coal wars?

The West Virginia coal wars (1912–21), also known as the mine wars, arose out of a dispute between coal companies and miners. The mining companies refused to meet the demands of the workers and instead hired Baldwin-Felts agents equipped with high-powered rifles to guard the mines and act as strikebreakers.

How did the coal wars end?

While miners shot at their opponents, private planes organized by the coal companies’ defensive militia dropped bleach and shrapnel bombs on the union’s headquarters. The battle only stopped when federal troops arrived on the order of President Warren Harding.

How many people died in Matewan?

Matewan police chief Sid Hatfield and Mayor Cable Testerman confronted the detectives while armed miners stood away from the scene unknown to the detectives. Eleven people died in an ensuing gun battle, including 7 detectives and Testerman.

What kind of coal is mined in West Virgnia?

West Virginia’s coal is bituminous in rank. Coal beds of the southern coalfields range in rank from low-volatile bituminous in the southeast and decrease progressively northwestward and strati-graphically upward to high-volatile bituminous in the area of the Kanawha Valley near Charleston.

What is the history of West Virginia coal mines?

History of West Virginia Mineral Industries – Coal. In 1742, John Peter Salley took an exploratory trip across the Allegheny Mountains and reported an outcropping of coal along a tributary of the Kanawha River. He and his companions named this tributary the Coal River, and his report became the first reference to coal in what is today West Virginia.

Who discovered coal in West Virginia?

Coal was first discovered in what is now West Virginia in 1742 by John Peter Salley in what is now Boone County.

Where is coal found in West Virginia?

Coal is an unincorporated community and coal town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, along Cabin Creek . It was also known as Cofoco.

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