Tsable River Mine opened in 1949 and located in the coal-bearing area upriver from where the old Baynes Sound Mine had operated. Even though this was not a gassy mine, the Tsable River Mine did have the problem of coal igniting by spontaneous combustion.

The mine was able to continue operations for some time after the closure of all other mines in the Cumberland area because of the contract that the Company had with the Bamberton Cement Works near Victoria. Of 180,000 tons of coal taken from the Tsable River Mine each year, almost half went to the Bamberton plant, with the remainder sold to Vancouver for industrial and domestic use. The Canadian Collieries was about to close the Tsable River Mine and it did close on April 14th, 1960 but was re-opened on May 9th, 1960, this time operated by three senior employees of the Company. Stan Lawrence, George Dutfield and James Cochrane made an agreement with the Canadian Collieries to lease the mine and the available machinery. Employing 100 men in the re-opening, the Comox Ming Company was able to keep the mine operating until November, 1966.

All coal mines in the area were now closed. The only operating mine was the hard rock open pit copper mine located on Mount Washington. A few coal miners were able to get jobs with this operation, but for the coal miners of Cumberland, an era had ended. The young miners in the area had not been able to enter the mines for years as seniority clauses of the union contract gave priority to the experienced miners in the time of shrinking employment. Miner’s wives did not have to tell their children “Get an education so you don’t have to go into the mines.” There were no mines for them to enter.