The Southwest Virginia Improvement Company opened Pocahontas Mine No. 1 in 1882 as the first mine to exploit the rich seams of the Pocahontas Coalfield. An extension of the Norfolk and Western Railway soon followed, bringing industrial development to Southwest Virginia and linking it to Norfolk. The mine drew a mix of ethnic groups from neighboring states and Europe to the area, including African Americans, Hungarians, Italians, Russians, Germans, and Welsh. By 1883, miners produced about 1,000 tons of coal a day. In 1938, a closed section of the mine reopened as the nation’s first Exhibition Coal Mine and educated visitors about the industry. Mining operations ceased in 1955.