In December 1873, a 4,000 foot tunnel was completed through Big Lick Mountain in Dauphin County. Williamstown Tunnel opened up Bear Valley for profitable coal mining.
The completion of Williamstown Tunnel – 1873
A visit to the Coal Region in the summer of 1873 – The Atlantic Magazine
A writer's visit to the Coal Region and his fascinating, but scathing opinions about what he found - Summer of 1873
Violence in the Coal Region and the Molly Maguire conspiracy theory
An 1873 letter in the Boston Globe exhibits many signs of a Molly Maguire conspiracy theory in the Coal Region.
Wynning History 