Northwest Coal Company

Bienfait, Saskatchewan, Canada

WARNING

Old Abandoned Underground Coal Mines can be Very Dangerous, Due to Collapse, and Mine Gases (Noxious and Flammable). Extreme Care should be taken around them, due to Falls, Sudden Ground Collapse, and Bad Air, and in NO Circumstances should People enter into ANY Mine Openings, or Associated Caves. The Material Contained on my Sites, is NOT to Encourage Personal Investigation of these Mines, But only as a Historical Record of these Long Abandoned Mines. Please View these Mines from a Far, Safe and Legal Distance. Always Observe Private Property Rights, and Obey ALL Warning Signs.

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Northwest Coal Company Ltd.
aka: Konopaki Mine

shown in Left Top corner on this 1955 map
West of the Eastern Collieries Mine, North of the CPR line.
Very near the National Mine location from 1931

LSD15 & LSD 16 & PART OF 9 &10
LYING N OF CPR, RR
Section 22, Township 2, Range 7, W2

Located approximately six miles east of Estevan, and 2 1/2 miles west of Bienfait

Deep Seam Mine, started in 1932, turned into open pit mine in 1947
Company name operating in 1967 for sure.
Pit ponies were used to pull up the mine cars from a 62 ft sloped and timbered shaft.
ca 1932, 15 miners produced 3750 tons of coal/mo
1939, 50 miners were shipping 360 tons in 8 box cars/day

Owned by brothers, Alex & Louie Konopaki,
and Alex's brother-in-law Daniel (Dan) Bozak

Alex Konopaki was Mine manager
By Dec 8, 1945 they had an agreement with District 18, U.M.A., (United Mine Workers of America)

Alex Konopaki
b- Mar 25, 1901
d- Mar 4, 1983
buried in Bienfait Cemetery
married Mary Konopaki, nee Bozak in 1926

Louie Konopaki
b- Nov 2, 1902
d- Oct 15, 1979
buried in Bienfait Cemetery
married Anna Konopaki, nee ?

Alex and Louie's father-
John Konopaki,
b- Oct 1864 in Austria
d- 1925, age 62
married Pauline Konopaki, nee ?
John Immigrated in 1905,
worked in Nova Scotia mines before Bienfait Mines.
Rest of John's family immigrated in 1913.
Farmed at Frobisher in 1917, until 1925 when John died.
1911 census shown as John Konopaski, b- Oct 1864 in Austria
immigrating in 1908, Catholic, occupation coalminer, boarder
with Thomas Mandzuik, in Jane Nelson Boarding House #8

Daniel (Dan) Bozak
b- Oct 31, 1904
d- Jan 4, 1980
buried in Bienfait Cemetery
brother of Mary Bozak

I know a Walter Konopaki worked at the family mine
b-Nov 20, 1925 in Bienfait
d-June 18, 2007 in Moose Jaw
don't know who his father was though

Nov 1937 there was a sit down strike at this mine
6 men remained underground as part of their strike.
John Elchyson was one of the men.
the 6 were part of a 15 man underground crew, working about 50 ft underground.

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