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Bootleg mining or shoemaker mining is a form of illegal coal mining.
The term originated around the 1920s, though the practice probably predates that. Generally, a bootleg mine (sometimes called a bootleg pit) is a small mine dug by a handful of men. Often this took place surreptitiously on land owned by somebody else, such as a coal company. They were frequently dug by coal miners off official tunnels in order to procure additional, free coal for themselves, a practice that causes additional ramifications when fighting . Sometimes small pits are hidden under houses or outbuildings. Usually, the mine is not large enough to turn around in. The pits are known for being unsafe, and often causing collapse.
The practice has died away in the United States; an American with simple equipment cannot dig enough coal in a day to reach a living wage. Bootleg mines in China are still very common, as are the fatalities resulting from unregulated mining.
A resurgence of bootleg mining occurred in 1990s in Lower Silesia around the city of Wałbrzych, after all coal mines in the city were closed. The previously predominantly mining town was facing high unemployment rates and underlying coal deposits which surface as outcrops near the city are relatively easily accessible for bootleg mining. Due to the non-compliance with health and safety regulations and work performed by unqualified people, it is a very dangerous activity resulting in numerous accidents, including fatalities.
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