As coal mining developed, the community became one of the largest in Indian Territory. The mining companies built rows of 2- and 3- bedroom houses for the families of the miners. In 1887, accidental explosions in Mines #1 and #2 killed 6 miners and 12 rescue personnel. The Savanna Coal Mining and Trading Company closed its mines and moved the houses it owned to Lehigh, Oklahoma. Some growth continued, and Savanna boasted 450 residents in 1911. The "Savanna News" began publishing in 1915, but went out of business before the end of the decade.