Headstock Mine II

This mining headstock is testimony to Youx of the mining past of the basin of Saint-Eloy-les-Mines. 22m high, firstly in wood then a metalic structure in 1909. This mine served as a pumping station for returned air and airation of the mines.
Coal mine shaft jacking. Height: 22.20m. The deposit is part of the "grand sillon houiller du Massif Central" 270 km long from Noyant (Allier) to La Salvetat (Aveyron). The "Société des Mines de La Bouble" started drilling the N°2 Well on May 20, 1895. The headframe of the Well II was first made of wood in 1898. The metal structure, as it exists today, was built in 1909. This shaft was used as a pumping station, air return and ventilation of the galleries for coal exploration. It was connected to the other shafts of the Saint-Éloy-les-Mines mining basin. From 1898, Youx became the 2nd mining town in the Nord des Combrailles region, multiplying the population by three from 1883 to 1954. The coalmining company stopped mining in 1954.