The coalfield has been a large source of high-quality, high-volatile bituminous coal since the field was opened by the completion of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1904.
Later the Virginian Railway built the "Gilbert Extension" which allowed the shipment of coal from western Wyoming County.
This coalfield hosted notable events from the Mine Wars, particularly Logan County Sheriff Don Chafin's victory over UMWA invaders at the Battle of Blair Mountain.
It is also the location of the Buffalo Creek Flood, when a Pittston Coal Company coal refuse dam burst at Buffalo Creek in 1972 and resulted in the death of 125 people and the destruction of about a dozen towns.
In 2008 a new coal mine and preparation plant opened at the site of the Pittston refuse dam.