industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction. Early growth of the coal industry in Nova Scotia was built on exports to the east coast of the United States. Coal was so prevalent in Springhill that "there was a time when men got coal out of their backyards; shallow pits were found everywhere. In recent years, there have been instances when a homeowner would step out of his door only to find a big gaping hole where his driveway had been. Another part of an old mine had caved in." Springhill mining disaster may refer to any of three Canadian mining disasters that occurred in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield, near the town of Springhill in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. The third and final disaster in 1958 accelerated the closure of the largest mines when what was known as a "bump" occurred. The underground upheaval can be described as a bump due to a seismic jolt stemming from the collapse of one or more support pillars within a mine. A commemorative monument is prominently displayed on the main street of Springhill to honour the heroic lives of miners and their families. The statue is near to Miner's Hall, on the corner of Main and Pioneer Street. A short drive from downtown is the Springhill Coal Mining National Historic Site of Canada. This site is located at the corner of Industrial Park Drive and Memorial Crescent, Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada. Visitor's have an opportunity to tour the depths of a Springhill coal mine, hear stories of the disaster of 1891, the 1916 subterranean fire which raged through the galleries, the loss of 39 men in the 1956 explosion and the major “bump” in 1958 which killed 75 men. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who owned CBHT pioneered outside broadcasting in Canada with its coverage of the Springhill Mine Disaster in 1958. The Miners’ Museum displays unique artifacts of the history of the town and its remarkable industrial heritage. There is a gift Shop and picnic area for tourists on the site. Springhill Mining Disasters are articulated in a number of songs, poems, books and published articles, including an Alistair MacLeod short story entitled, "The Vastness of the Dark".