In 1883, with the creation of the Norfolk and Western Railway a gateway was opened to the untapped coalfields of the southwestern part of West Virginia. New towns were springing up in the region to accommodate the increasing number of new arrivals. Many of these new arrivals were European immigrants while others were African Americans from the southern states. All were pouring into south western West Virginia in pursuit of gaining a livelihood from the new industries that the railway attracted.

By the close of the 19th century West Virginia was out in front as a national leader in the production of coal. However, it at the same time fell far behind other major coal producing states in regulating the conditions of its mines. In addition to the poor economic conditions associated with its mines West Virginia had a higher mine death rate than any other state.

In the year of the Monongah coal mine disaster, nationally throughout the United States in 1907 a total of 3,242 American miners were killed in mine accidents. After the disaster, and in the ensuing decades, the United Mine Workers of America labour union and legislators sympathetic to their plight forced safety regulations to be improved that brought a steady decline in death rates, not just in West Virginia but in other coal producing states as well.