Located north of Ashland Borough on the east side of Big Mine Run Creek, Butler Twp., Schuylkill Co., Penna.
The
original opening was one of two drifts driven east and west on the south dip
mammoth vein by Gideon Bast, Pearson and Davis in 1853. These two drifts constituted
the Big Mine Run Colliery and were operated as such to 1858 when Emanuel Bast,
son of Gideon Bast, purchased the east lying drift workings from the firm and
mined it until 1860 when the gangway had been driven 3000 ft. The first shipment
of 5245 tons was made by Emanuel Bast in 1859.
In 1860, Emanuel Bast formed a partnership with a Mr. Steinhilbert and the colliery then operated under the name "Union Colliery".
In 1863, they sunk a slope 440 ft. on the south dip mammoth vein to the first level from which a gangway was driven eastward. The west gangway was not driven on account of a pillar seperating the two collieries.
In 1872, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. (P&R I&C Co.) purchased the colliery mining the east gangway and extending the slope 370 ft. to the second level, a total length of 810 ft. from the surface. From the new level gangways were driven east & west, the west passing under the active Big Mine Run Colliery mined by Taylor & Lindsey.
In 1874, the pump slope, 88 ft. east of the hoisting slope was sunk 357 ft. to the first level and the mining of the first level was completed eastward to the pillar line at the Preston Colliery.
In 1876, a tunnel was driven from the foot of the slope on the second level south 810 ft. through the inverted dip to the south dip mammoth vein in the ashland basin with gangways driven east and west. The mammoth gangways in 1897 extended 6200 ft. west to the wadleigh pillar line and 5700 ft. eastward.
In 1878, the hoisting slope was extended to the third level 800 ft. from the surface and in 1884 the pump slope was sunk to the same level as the coal slope. During the same year the south dip buck mountain slope was sunk 1044 ft. to the second level and a tunnel driven south 400 ft. to the second level mammoth gangway.
In 1889, the mammoth slope was extended 306 ft. below the second level, a total length of 1186 ft. from the surface and the pump slope extended to the same level. In 1901, the new bottom was changed to hoist gunboats instead of wagons formerly in use. A new lift was also sunk on the buck mountain slope.
In 1890, the breaker was rebuilt and the latest machinery installed.
On Jan. 9, 1912, the P&R C&I Co. sunk a four compartment coal shaft, each 7 ft. x 12 ft. and the same year sunk a rock slope 150 ft. east of the new shaft 109 ft. to the skidmore vein. In 1914 the coal shaft was completed to a depth of 1159 ft. and a tunnel driven 1126 ft. from the buck mountain third level to the coal shaft.
In 1917, the colliery installed an electric light system inside and outside the colliery.
The bast colliery closed down September 29, 1934.
The total shipments from the Bast Colliery as of 1928 were 9,504,288 tons.