In 1877, a devastating mine fire in Lykens and Wiconisco, Pennsylvania, collided with one of the most turbulent years in American history. Now, in the second installment of this two-part YouTube documentary series, we explore the human cost of the Lykens Mine Fire of 1877 – and how it unfolded against the backdrop of the Long Depression and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.

The fire at the Short Mountain Colliery shut down the chief industrial employer in northern Dauphin County for more than a year, throwing roughly 800 workers out of their jobs during an already brutal economic downturn. Families fled. Businesses collapsed. More than 100 local households were reported destitute as winter approached. In this episode, we examine what unemployment, poverty, labor unrest, and national upheaval looked like on the western edge of Pennsylvania’s Coal Region.

We also follow the deeply personal story of Dr. Charles H. Miller, whose hopeful vision of prosperity for Lykens in December 1876 was shattered just nine days later when the mine caught fire. His tragic fate mirrors the broader instability of the era – an era marked by industrial collapse, labor violence, and financial uncertainty.

If you haven’t yet watched Part One on the origins and suppression of the Lykens Mine Fire, you can find it here on the blog. Together, these two episodes tell the full story of one of the most consequential—and largely forgotten—industrial disasters in Dauphin County history.

Watch the full documentary above, and subscribe on YouTube for more Pennsylvania Coal Region history.

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Read more about the 1877 Lykens Mine Fire

One Spark: The 1877 Lykens Mine Fire

One Year in Hell: The Aftermath of the 1877 Lykens Mine Fire

Investigating the 1877 Lykens Mine Fire – The Pennsylvania Mine Inspector’s Report

History of the Short Mountain Colliery 

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