A tribute to some of

Dickenson County's first female coal miners

Pictured Left to Right: Irene Deel, Lois Bowman, Catherine "Cat" Counts, Evelyn Delaney and Sarah Rose

These five women were among the first female coal miners in Dickenson County, as well as in the state of Virginia. Before 1973, government records show no female coal miners. Legal barriers to their entry into the coal mines were finally removed after years of litigation and opposition by male coal miners. By 1979, there were about 2,600 women miners, reaching a high of about 11,600 by the early 1980s.

The lady pictured in the center, "Cat" Counts, lost her life in the explosion of Clinchfield's McClure No. 1 Mine in the early 1980's only a few weeks after this photo was taken.

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This page updated September 18, 2004

 

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