The town was as bleak as any in Pennsylvania coal country, where the mines had shut down and most good jobs had been lost decades ago.

Although the timber industry proved successful for the community, the mine shut its doors just five years after opening.

Nor did Gephart's empire long survive him; little more than a decade after his death, the furnaces were demolished, the mines shut down, and one railroad scrapped.

Many mines have since shut down and stressed the local economy.

The mines and quarries have all but shut down now, and the town has become a farming hub.

When the mines shut down, some coal towns were entirely depopulated.

By 1937, the mines shut down, and Swansea was already a ghost town.

As the mines shut down, the town went into a decline, now being reversed mainly by the discovery of "gold" in dinosaurs.

When the mine shut in 1986, the road fell into disuse and maintenance became increasingly difficult.

Almost all mines shut down, although the workers were said to be sharply divided on the strike question.