"The miners bring in their babies for the benefit of their health!"Viator said on visiting the Mt. Savage coal mines in an 1849 article, "Mount Savage Ramblings." The sometimes pro-coal mining article describes the work as not being hard on children  accompanying their fathers in the cave. Fresh air came in through the shaft opening and closing. The article, written for the Knickerbocker, a monthly New Yorkmagazine, describes the coal mining culture of Mount Savage and the nearby Frostburg.

Coal mining was one of the earliest professions in the area. There was some logging and farming before coal mining exploded in the Western Maryland area.  Frostburg was beginning to be a thriving town: miners' huts were popping up throughout the town, which hoped to prosper from the National Road. However, coal mining is still prevalent today. Parts of Shaft and Midland are still mined for coal.

Many Irish immigrants came to this area to work in the mines and build the railroad to distribute the coal. Welsh and Scottish immigrants, in smaller numbers, also mined the local shafts. According to Viator, a hard drink was needed to wash down the thick-coated throats after a hard day in the mines, and whiskey was the drink of choice.

One peculiar character that pops up in these old descriptions of the coal mining towns is the guide, Leonardus.  He's rowdy and does not concede to anyone. He is intolerant towards different immigrant groups, such as the Irish, whom he calls "ungrateful" when compared to the English, Scotch, and Welsh immigrants in the area.  On the basis of Viator's descriptions, the look of the miner was a somewhat scary affair, depending on what time of year it was. To keep warm, the miners wore thick beards. Their clothing was far from clean, even from 1840s standards.

Coal mining, obviously, was a hard profession. There were no unions to help regulate shifts, and child labor was common. Even today, coal mining is dangerous. Almost every year, reports of a mine collapsing hit the media. These reports during 1849 show nothing of the terrible incidents that plagued the average miner of its day. Lung problems from breathing in noxious fumes were one of the most serious risks. Another problem was the improper structure of the mines, causing cave-ins.

Acid mine drainage continues to be a problem in local streams. Dr. William Pegg, Biology professor at Frostburg State University, has extensively studied acid mine drainage. "Five years ago drainage from the McDonald Mill caused four miles of streams to be acidic. And they probably still are," Pegg stated. The damage of acid mine drainage was first detected in the early 1900s, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, rules were
enacted that suppressed the tactics used that caused the drainage. However, the effects will live on for many years.