Nicholas Sheran's Mines

Nicholas Sheran's first drift mine was a small and dangerous one-man operation. By 1881 he had mined a coal seam that was 90 metres in length. In some places he had mined as much as 4.5 metres into the valley wall with no timber supports to protect him from collapses. The coal was quarried by pick and shovel and then hauled out in wooden crates. Under advice from Dr. Dawson, a geological surveyor, Sheran built a timbered entry to provide some protection from landslides and roof collapses. He also built a 275 metre wooden wheel-barrow track along the west bank of the river from the mine to his storage shed for easier transportation of the coal.

P19693705000-GA A coal miners hard hat with light, an essential piece of equipment in the mines. The one pictured here has a battery pack attached to it.

Sheran's coal mining business prospered, and eventually he even supplied occasional wagon trains from Fort Benton Montana, which purchased the coal for $4 to $5 per tonne and sold it in Benton for $16 to $20 per tonne. Sheran remained in business until May 27, 1882, when he drowned at Kipp's Crossing on the Oldman river.