Large scale coal mining in Alabama began in the 1850s. During the infancy of coal extraction, the primitive methods and machinery often required many men to do the jobs. As collieries became more efficient in the 1920s, thousands were put out of work. With miner strikes, the Great Depression and workers being replaced by equipment, bootleg mining was conceived. Oftentimes these racketeers would reopen mines that the companies had closed using existing equipment left behind. The majority of bootleg coal was sold within a 30 mile range, mainly to local merchants and families. The bootleggers would sell the coal at a fraction of the price, making it an attractive option for families and businesses to save money on heating costs. This abandoned coal drift mine ‪@MrTropics64‬ and I explored dates back to the 1880/90, and was closed around the 1920s. Bootleggers would return back after it was closed, reopen it and mine the coal left to provide for their families. Also, it appears moonshiners had set up an operation after the bootleggers finished, giving the mine another bit of history, but we will save that for another time.
#underground #caving #mines