A one-time major Daviess County industry played out to oblivion in 1958. At a county tax sale, the Winston coal mine failed to produce even one interested bidder with only a tax bill of $317.10 pending. That wouldn’t have been the case in earlier years.

Efforts to mine coal in Daviess County dates back as far as 1871 when an effort was made to form a company soon after a vein of fuel was discovered on a farm belonging to John S. Hughes. This failed, and nothing was done until about the turn of the century when the first shaft was sunk at a depth of 345 feet.

Lack of capital, cooperation and interest soon halted that venture. But in 1934 J.O. Elliott of Cameron opened the shaft, extended it and struck a 36-inch vein of fine quality bituminous coal. This effort ended in failure when litigation over the property forced its sale to satisfy creditors.

The Winston Coal Company was formed in 1936 and a new larger shaft was sunk 300 feet from the old shaft. These were connected and new hoisting machinery, cutting equipment and a double cage were installed. Improvements increased output to 200 tons a day for a time. There were as many as 50 men employed at the mine and Daviess County coal was trucked into all sections of Northwest Missouri.

In its later years of operation, the property changed ownership frequently and attempts to operate the mine profitably failed. Eventually, federal inspectors would no longer approve the shafts for safe working without costly repairs which the business could no longer support.

— from the Sept. 4, 1958, edition of the Gallatin Democrat

In November, 1934, a 50-inch vein of coal was struck at Winston, MO, by J.O. Elliott and a small group of workers after nearly a year of work. Elliott’s crew cleared out an older shaft sunk nearly 40 years earlier. The shaft, some 400 feet down, offered a good grade of jet black, oily and highly combustible coal. Elliott soon began negotiations to purchase larger equipment. (North Missourian, Vol. 71 No. 12 – Nov. 23, 1934)

 


During the latter 1930s as our nation was exiting the terrible Depression Days and many people were still jobless, our local economy received a great boost when J.O. Elliot of Cameron struck a 50-inch vein of coal in the western suburbs of Winston, MO. The vein was 460 feet in depth and it was estimated the vein extended several miles in either direction. The coal had a higher heat unit than any coal mined in Missouri; the coal was jet black in color and very oily.

New equipment was purchased from the Farmers Mercantile Company of Gallatin, MO, and it was estimated 50 tons could be brought to the surface daily. It was said when the mine was fully developed, it would be one of the very best found anywhere. It was soon to become a valuable asset to Daviess County and give jobs to many jobless people.

The mining industry was also affected by the Depression and the mine was sold at a sheriff’s sale held at the courthouse. The new owners would operate the mine under the name Winston Coal Company.

— presented by Wilbur Bush, Gallatin, MO