Corunna, Michigan. The lands previously worked on section 23 by the Briar Hill Iron and Coal Company were purchased by the Corunna Coal Company on December 5, 1874. They were already leasing the lands. Corunna Coal Company did a thorough investigation on the properties they owned and determined that there was large deposits of coal deep in the earth. In 1877 they then opened a new shaft 75 feet in length. They hit a rich vein of coal. It was two feet three inches to three feet nine inches in thickness. The company then set up operations to mine and ship it and had it fully operational by June 1877. Local workmen were not skilled in this industry, so the company hired about 100 coal workmen from Ohio of which 75 were skilled miners. In the winter months 75 to 100 tons of coal were mined daily. The summer months resulted in less production. Transportation of the coal went about 2.5 miles from the mines to the depot of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, a fairly difficult task. This task became easier when a branch road from Corunna was built. Tod Kincaid, Secretary and Treasurer, purchased an interest in the mines in 1877. By 1891 Kincaid bought out his partners and became the general manager. A spur track to the mine by the Detroit, Milwaukee and Western Railroad was constructed in 1885. The Kincaid Mine officially closed in the early 1900s; however, the coal vein continued to be mined from time to time until shortly after World War II. References Sources Ashlee, Laura Rose, Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers , University of Michigan Press, 2005, Ellis, Franklin, History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan , D.W. Ensign & Company, 1880 Past and Present Shiawassee County, Michigan Shiawassee County Historical Society, 1906 Defunct mining companies of the United States Defunct companies based in Michigan History of Michigan Economy of Michigan Defunct coal mining companies