Towns such as Bukittinggi, Batusangkar, Payakumbuh, Padang Panjang, and Solok were shaped by the Minang community, while Sawahlunto was created by the mining business during the colonisation of the Dutch in 1888.

Coal mining had significantly changed the rural landscape of Sawahlunto into an industrial site.

Meanwhile, in 1887–1892, they began building a train from Pulau Air Padang to Muaro Kalaban and from this station to the Sawahlunto area.

[7] The Dutch also built a train system costing 17 million gulden as a mode for coal to be transported out from Sawahlunto through Padang.

Globally, from 1940 till the end 70s the production of coal by Ombilin declined, and shrank to only tens of thousands of tons per year.

Even though the population growth rate is only 1.2%, it is still below the annual average population growth rate of Sumatera Barat which reached 1.62% and did not appear correlated with increased production of coal.On 10 March 1949, a meeting was held between Afdeeling Solok, which is supervised by Sawahlunto/Sijunjung, and Kabupaten Solok, under the governance of Stad Gemeente Sawahlunto, which is under the authority of Bupati Sawahlunto/Sijunjung to discuss on the natural resources gained.

18 in 1965 changed to Regional Level II with the title as Kotamadya Sawahlunto commanded by the town, Mayor AKHMAD Noerdin, as of 11 June 1965, with the Decree of the Minister of Home Affairs dated 8 March 1965.

PT TBO was later liquidated and became a subsidiary of PTBA (Bukit Asam) which is located in Southern Sumatra.

Coal mining was not restricted within the boundaries of the community but also extended to the land owned by PTBA TPO.

The landscape is primarily made up of steep hills which act as a hindrance to the development of the town.

With the expansion of the district based on government law No.44, 1990 Sawahlunto became known not only for handicrafts, snacks, livestock, and fruits but also as a tourist destination.

Other religions practiced in this city are Christianity, Hinduism, and Confucianism, most of which are adhered to by non-Minangkabau residents.

[11][12] The current population of the town of Sawahlunto is dominated by the Minangkabau and Javanese ethnic groups.

Based on the results of the Census survey conducted with the residents in 1995, the population in Sawahlunto was reflected to have increased to 55,090 people even though the land area of Sawahlunto remained the same unlike how towns would generally expand in proportion to the population growth.

Due to its landscape, the expansion of Sawahlunto became a form of federation of small towns and rural settlements.

However, based on the Census in 2000 the growth of its people was proven to be temporary, as the population of Sawahlunto appeared to be declining.

Based on the same Census, it was stated that the total population was 50,668 people, which translates to a decline of 8% over 5 years.

One of the reasons for this was that a portion of the employee housing of the Ombilin Coal Mining Unit (UPO) was shifted out of the town area of Sawahlunto.

However, the future of the coal mining industry in Ombilin is now unclear due to reserves that can only be exploited internally.

In recent years, the policy of the Sawahlunto municipal administration has been directed towards the twin goals of promoting structural adjustment in the local economy and tackling poverty.

Structural adjustment measures have been implemented to transform the city from being a coal town to strengthening the tourist sector.

The inauguration has been commemorated annually since 2005 with a traditional makan bajamba along the stretch of Pasar Remaja Kota Sawahlunto.

These silos function as coal stockpiles that have been cleaned and ready to be transported to Teluk Bayur port.

During the Dutch East Indies period, the siren at the Silo indicated the working hours of the Orang Rantai, or convicts who were used as coal laborers.

[22] The building has a tower in the center, and around it, there is a garden called the Triangle Park (Taman Segitiga).

Next to the Lubang Suro is the Info Box Building which was established to provide various information and documentation about the history of coal mining in the city of Sawahlunto.