With the development of the coal rich territories and the large need for coal, progress was coming to Mingo County. Men of all nationalities and ethnic origins headed to the hills seeking the work opportunities the coal mines had to offer. It was a mixed bag of both employers and employees. You might say it was a collage of the good, the bad, and the ugly of humanity. The events leading up to the Matewan massacre caused the largest war on U.S. soil since the Civil War (1861-1865). It was known as the Blair Mountain War. You may not have heard much about this war, but "it actually happened."