The Margarethe weather shaft, located in Holzwickede, was part of the historic United Margarethe mine in Dortmund-Sölde. The Vereinigte Margarethe colliery started operations in 1859 and ceased operations in 1926. It was known for the extraction of hard coal and in its best years achieved a maximum annual production of over 328,000 tons. The weather shaft itself was sunk around 1899 to improve the ventilation of the mine workings. It was initially sunk 52 meters vertically and then 25 meters diagonally along a fault in the main seam, with a total vertical depth of 72 meters. After the mine was closed in 1928, the weather shaft was abandoned and filled in.
The history of the Margaretha colliery, to which the weather shaft belonged, is characterized by technical and operational developments. As early as 1894, four shafts were in operation, including two weather shafts, a production shaft and a dewatering shaft. Over the years, the mine experienced various expansions and takeovers of other mining fields, which led to a consolidation and name change to the United Margarethe mine.
Today, a weather shaft near the Emscher spring, reconstructed by the Ruhrrevier e.V., Holzwickede working group, is reminiscent of the Vereinigte Margarethe colliery. In addition, street names in Dortmund and Holzwickede commemorate the location of this historic mine.