Samuel T. Brush a founder of the city of Carbondale and owner of the
St. Louis and Big Muddy Coal Company opened the Captain Brush Mine in the town in 1890. The
United Mine Workers of America was organized in 1890 however the price of coal dropped. Mine operators in the region lowered wages lower than the price of coal, leading to union strikes. By 1897 then national union had grown stronger and had over 50,000 members. The union organized at the Dewmaine Mine in 1898, and in April of that year the union led a strike over low wages. By 1897, the Dewmaine Mine became top coal producing mine in the state of Illinois. After that, production dropped and continued to do so. Brush sold the
St. Louis and Big Muddy Coal Company to
Madison Coal Corporation in 1905 and the mine was renamed the
Madison #8 mine in 1906. The new company recognized the union. The African-American miners were allowed to keep their jobs on the provision that they joined the union. In addition to African-Americans, the mine was worked by numerous European immigrants including Polish, Russians,
Czechoslovaks, and
Rusyns. ==References==