Thread by @MiningNS

We love getting questions about #mining, #minerals and #geology!
We were recently asked about historical #coal mining in #Thorburn, #NovaScotia. Here’s our answer:

#nspoli #NS #Pictou #PictouCounty @ns_moi @NS_Museum

@ns_moi @NS_Museum The #Pictou coalfield is roughly 18x6 km and comprises 15 major coal seams in the #Westville, #Stellarton, and #Thorburn-Greenwood areas. Although small, the coalfield has produced about 55 million tonnes in the last two centuries.
#nspoli #NovaScotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum #Coal was discovered in the #Pictou coalfield around 1790 by Scottish settlers. The first substantive #mining operation was Collier John MacKay’s mine, sunk in 1809 on the west side of #EastRiver.
#nspoli #NovaScotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum The first mine in #Thorburn was the MacBean/Vale Colliery which opened in 1867 and closed in 1971. (Some records say it opened in 1872.) Its coal was hauled to #NewGlasgow by horse and wagon, and sent by rail to #Halifax.
#nspoli #NovaScotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum The MacBean family sold the mine to the Vale #Coal, Iron and Manufacturing Company which installed a rail line to #NewGlasgow to handle the growing volume.
#nspoli #Novascotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum Other #Thorburn mines include:

Greenwood Colliery (1918-1966)
Acadia No. 2 Colliery (1920-1921)
Acadia No. 3 Colliery (1920-1939)
Greenwood No.1 Colliery (1926-1930)
Greenwood No.2 Colliery (1926-1966)
Acadia No. 8 Colliery (1938-1939)

#nspoli #NovaScotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum In 1886 three of the four major #coal companies operating in the #Pictou coalfield - Vale, #Halifax, and #Acadia - merged to form the new Acadia Coal Company. Acadia was the main coal producer in #PictouCounty until 1966.

#nspoli #NovaScotia #NS

@ns_moi @NS_Museum In the modern era, #Thorburn #Mining Ltd. operated the Thorburn mine from 1997-2000. It extracted the remaining #coal and reclaimed the site, removing old buildings and equipment, and returning it to nature.
#nspoli #novascotia #ns

@ns_moi @NS_Museum Few people lived in #Thorburn before the first #coal mine opened. The area was originally called the Vale but the name was changed to Thorburn in 1885.
@ns_moi has great info on historical mining in #NovaScotia, including the #Pictou coalfield: museumofindustry.novascotia.ca
#nspoli #NS