The Hawks Nest Coal Company strike in January 1880 was the first major coal strike in West Virginia where the state got involved. The strike began when union miners in Coal Valley (now Montgomery) stopped miners at nearby Hawks Nest from working, claiming they were hurting wages.

Violence was threatened, and the mine manager called for help. The sheriff didn’t act, so Governor Henry Mathews sent in the militia to restore order. Some Coal Valley miners were charged in court.

This was the first time state troops were used in a coal strike, a pattern that continued in later strikes.