By the late 1880s, prospect drilling had proven that anthracite coal reserves existed under the North Branch of Shamokin Creek in southern Columbia County. In 1889, work began to mine this coal. The Lehigh Valley Railroad extended a spur from Mount Carmel to the new mine named Mid Valley Colliery. The new coal company was christened Mid Valley Coal Company (sometimes spelled Midvalley). It was part of the Leisenring and Wentz family of companies, and the 1890 state mine report actually listed Righter, Leisenring & Co. as the operator. A "patch town" was built for the workers and named Wilburton. The breaker opened in January or February 1891. Barely two years went by before the Mid Valley breaker burned in June 1893. A new one was ready by November. As the 1890s went on, a sister operation opened up the creek and was named Mid Valley No. 2. Another company housing development was constructed and called Wilburton No. 2. Leghigh Valley did not extend the railroad from No. 1 to No. 2. Rather, No. 2 was approached from Centralia. There were multiple drift and slope portals at both collieries and large tonnage was reported as the 1800s turned into the 1900s. Just after the turn of the century, No. 1 was inundated with water for a time and mining stopped. A new pump house was built, No. 1 reopened, and Mid Valley Coal Co. had many good years of production. It's possible that all coal was taken out through No. 2 breaker because maps show the rail spur to No. 1 as being removed. Hazle Brook Coal Co. became the new operator in 1923. In addition to underground operations, Hazle Brook began stripping at Wilburton in the 1930s. Midvalley production dwindled in the 1940s. By 1946 what was left of Midvalley coal was sent to Gilberton to be cleaned and loaded. The antiquated No. 2 breaker was remodeled and updated at that time, and in 1947 it began to clean other small operators' coal. In 1948 a bizarre situation occurred where a plane carrying show business executives crashed into the electric substation next to the breaker. Hazle Brook Coal Co. continued to operate the breaker and strip coal in the vicinity until 1957. Jeddo Highland Coal Co. purchased the breaker in 1958 and built a "Fine Coal Plant." When this plant closed in April 1964, that ended 73 years of non-stop anthracite coal mining activity at Wilburton Nos. 1 and 2. Mid Valley Coal Sales began surface remining at No. 2 in 2014.
