This colorized postcard showing the West Shenandoah Colliery in the early 20th century is one of the newest additions to the Wynning History collection of Coal Region images.

Here it is in full size.

As in the name of the colliery, the West Shenandoah Colliery sat on the southwestern edge of the Schuylkill County mining community.

The location of the colliery in relation to Shenandoah can be seen in this 1889 mine map from the collections of Penn State.

From the Schuylkill County history compiled by W.W. Munsell in 1881:

West Shenandoah Colliery consists of two slopes, sunk on the Buck Mountain and Mammoth veins, the old slope extending 250 yards from the opening in three lifts. This colliery was first opened in 1869, by M.F. Maize and W.H. Lewis, under the personal supervision of the latter. It was worked by them until 1878,
when it was transferred to the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. It has one breaker, with a capacity of about 500 tons, which is now worked to nearly its full capacity. There are 9 engines, equaling 455 horse power. There are about 160 men and boys employed inside, with David Morgan as foreman, and 100 outside, with A.D. Gable as foreman.

From Frank Blase’s “Coal Castle” piece on the West Shenandoah Colliery in the Pottsville Republican-Herald, March 22-23, 1991

In 1890, the Kohinoor and Turkey Run collieries were consolidated with West Shenandoah Colliery. A large breaker was built to prepare the coal mined from all three collieries…
In 1907, the haulage tunnel connecting West Shenandoah and Turkey Run collieries was started, and completed in 1908. Its total length was 3,222 feet.
In 1909, the breaker and headframe of the main hoisting slope was lighted by electricity.

The colliery was one of the largest producers for the P&R C&I Co.

The West Shenandoah Colliery was shut down November 10, 1938…

Featured Image: Detail of mineworkers at the West Shenandoah Colliery (Author’s Collection)

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