Coal mines and mining -- West Virginia

Scope and Contents This is an oral history interview conducted by Gordon L. Swartz III featuring Karl Kafton, a West Virginia coal miner and active member of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union. Kafton shares his parents’ story of immigrating to the United States from Ukraine in the early 20th century and his father's experiences working in coal mines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He describes his childhood in a predominantly immigrant mining community, his experiences in grade school, and...

Scope and Contents Includes records created and used by the West Virginia University Extension Service’s Mining Extension program. This collection reflects a broad range of the program’s activities, like material from classes offered on topics such as mine gas metering, fire and emergency prevention, mine engineering, industrial machinery, welding, and mine protection. It also features administrative records, like instructor travel expense logs, budget information and supply requests, departmental...