Kathleen Coal Mine

Kathleen Coal Mine

Former Kathleen Coal Mine Company Store in Dowell, IL
Location
Dowell
State	Illinois
Country	United States
Coordinates	37°56′25″N89°13′42″W / 37.94028°N 89.22833°W / 37.94028; -89.22833
Production
Products	Coal
History
Opened	1918 (1918) [1]
Closed	1946 [1]
Owner
Company	Union Colliery Company

The Kathleen Mine was a coal mine that operated in the nearby coal town of Dowell, Illinois, United States, from 1918 to 1946. At peak production, its output was 5,000 tons/day of coal. It was operated by the Union Colliery Company in St. Louis. ^[2] Many miners who worked in the Kathleen were immigrants from eastern Europe, ^[3] including Rusyns ^[4]

History

The Kathleen was sunk in 1917 and the mine opened in 1918. It was named for Kathleen McAuliffe who was the daughter of Eugene McAuliffe, the president of the colliery company. ^{[5] [6]}

Duquoin -- What is said to be the largest mine tipple in the world is being constructed over the main shaft of the new mine of the Union Colliery Co.. of St. Louis, at the new town of Dowel], five miles south of here. Coal is already being mined and sent to St. Louis for the use of the Union Electric Light and Power Co., of which the Union Colliery Co. is a subsidiary company

— Staff writer(s), "Coal Age", Coal Age (September 26, 1918)

In February, 1920 the Union Colliery Company employed over 300 men with an average monthly payroll of over $35,000. ^[7]

The mine workers were members of the United Mine Workers union led by John Lewis. ^[8] Its miners went on strike from 1933 to 1937. They struck for the right to join the Progressive Mining Union. ^[9]

The Kathleen Mine closed on November 21, 1946. Over its life, over 150 men were killed working there. ^{[1] [10]}

Disasters

• In February 1921 seven men were trapped and killed in the mine when a fire forced rescuers to seal the mine to contain the fire, ^{[1] [11] [12] [13]}
• Nine men were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning on August 1, 1936. This was the worst accident in the mine's history. Many of the deaths occurred during rescue operations, ^{[1] [14] [15]}

Afterward

The entrance to the mine has been closed. On the site as of December, 2021 is Cobin's Salvage Yard. There are few remaining signs of the mine that once built the village of Dowell. ^[16] A small concrete structure, the mine tipple, is the only structure that remains from the mine. ^{[17] [18]}

The mine has been suspected of causing sinkholes in the nearby village of Dowell. ^[19]

New Kathleen Mine

A new mine operated by Union Colliery was opened north of Dowell in January 1946. It was named the New Kathleen. This mine closed in 1947., ^{[3] [1]} Land scars are still visible from this mine. ^[20]

Gallery

Former company store in Dowell

Entering Dowell

Kathleen Mine at Dowell, Ill. Where the Clean, Clinkerless Southern Illinois Coal Comes From,... (NBY 428839)

References

1. "The Cruel Kathleen". Duquoin Evening Call. October 20, 1983.
2. "The Small Neighbor". Southern Illinoisan. January 11, 1990.
3. John Homan (June 26, 2018). "Dowell to celebrate 100th birthday this weekend". Benton Evening News.
4. Terry Alliband (1980). Expressions: Folkways in Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois University Carbondale. p. 11.
5. "Coal Age". Coal Age. 14 (13). New York: 618. September 26, 1918.
6. Wayne Hinton. "Illinois Coal & Coal Mining History & Genealogy". Archived from the original on October 5, 2018.
7. "Dowell State Bank Organized Last Evening". Du Quoin Call. February 20, 1920.
8. "UNITED MINE WORKERS WIN IN WAGE DISPUTE". Urbana Daily Courier. May 23, 1933. p. 2.
9. Phil Brinkman (July 20, 1992). "Quiet Present, Colorful Past". Southern Illinoisan.
10. "Kathleen Mine at Dowell Will Be Abandoned". Perry County Advocate. November 28, 1946.
11. "Dowell, IL Coal Mine Fire, Feb 1921 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". .gendisasters.com. 1921-02-24. Archived from the original on 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
12. "1921 mine disaster". Daily Free Press Carbondale Illinois. February 24, 1921.
13. Wayne Hinton. "History of Illinois Coal Mine Disasters 1921 to 1930". Hinton-gen.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
14. Wayne Hinton. "History of Illinois Coal Mine Disasters 1931 to 1940". Hinton-gen.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
15. united states mine rescue association. "Mine Disasters in the United States".
16. P. Wiseman (August 8, 1984). "The Village of Dowell". Murphysboro American.
17. Christopher Stratton, Floyd Mansberger, Heather Stanley (2004). Kathleen Mine Tipple (PDF). Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
18. John H. Croessman (2013-10-25). "A lot of junk, but never poor - News - Du Quoin Evening Call - Du Quoin, IL - Du Quoin, IL". Duquoin.com. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
19. "Dowell Sinking- no longer slowly". Southern Illinoisan. February 18, 1971.
20. Dennis DeBruler (January 25, 2017). "Kathleen Coal Mine in Dowel, IL".