This map was published just a year after the Knox Mine disaster upended Pennsylvania's anthracite industry. On January 22, 1959, the Susquehanna River broke through the ceiling of the River Slope Mine near Pittston, flooding the underground workings and killing twelve miners — the mine roof had been left just six to eight feet thick in places, far short of the fifty-foot buffer required by law. Within months, major operators abandoned deep anthracite mining in the northern field for good, closing a chapter on an industry that had defined the region for over a century.
We georeferenced the original 1960 survey and applied modern digital elevation data to add true shaded relief to Pennsylvania's Appalachian ridges and river valleys. The shading is printed flat on the paper — not raised or textured — so it frames and hangs like any fine art print.
Available unframed, or framed in black or walnut.
Note on legibility: text on the original map is small and can be difficult to read given the map's age. In areas where the relief shading is darkest, the underlying labels are not legible. We recommend the largest available size for the best detail.