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2024
Mining History Journal 2020 Now Online. CLICK HERE
Anthracite Mining Heritage Month 2024.
This popular annual regional
observance
National Miners Day. Congress
has designated December 6th, as National Miners Day to commemorate the
contributions and sacrifices of miners past and present.
Saint Barbara’s Day. In
many parts of the world, December 4th is celebrated as the feast day of
Saint Barbara. She is the patron saint of miners as well as
artillerymen, military engineers, tunnellers, and others who work with
explosives. Shrines to St. Barbara have been erected at many mines where
she is venerated. In parts of Europe, the feast day is celebrated with
parades of miners and bands appearing in historic mining uniforms. CLICK
HERE to learn
more about the Saint Barbara tradition.
2023 National Mining Hall of Fame Inductees. This
year’s Induction Banquet was held at the Gaylord Rockies, Aurora,
Colorado on October 28, 2023. The inductees were Richard Adkerson,
Carolyn Loder, E. Morgan Massey (1926-2021), Albert E. Reynolds
(1840-1921), and Dennis Washington. The 2023 Prazen Living Legend of
Mining Award was presented to Mining History Association member,
Richard “Dick” Beech. Check the website for their impressive
biographies.
The Death of Ron Limbaugh. Ronald
H. Limbaugh, Past-President of the Mining History Association, passed
away on August 13, 2023.
Ron was Professor of History, Director of Holt-Atherton Pacific Center
for Western Studies, and Director of the John Muir Center for Regional
Studies at the University of the Pacific. He received his Bachelors and
Masters degrees and PhD from the University of Idaho.
His research focused on the history of the environment,
California, and mining.
2023
MHA Nuggets Schedule For 2023-2024.
September 19, 2023 Bards of Cornwall. Two mining historians have been inducted as Bards of Cornwall by Gorsedh Kernow (https://gorsedhkernow.org.uk ). The organization seeks to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall by preserving
National Miners Day. Congress has designated December 6th, as National Miners Day to commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of miners past and present.
History and Geology of Globe-Miami, Arizona. The Arizona Geological Survey has recently released a 243 page contributed report, “Geology and History of the Globe-Miami Mining Region, Gila and Pinal Counties. Arizona,” by David Briggs. It is extensively illustrated with historical photos and maps, and contains tables of production data from individual mines. Check out the FREE DOWNLOAD.
Historical photos on the plaque include the Uberroth Zinc Mine in Friedensville, PA; the Lehigh Crane Iron Works along the Lehigh Canal in Catasauqua, PA; and the Coxe Brothers’ Derringer Anthracite Coal Breaker near Hazleton, PA. Each of these mineral industries played a key role in the development of Northeastern Pennsylvania. CLICK HERE for an enlarged view the plaque and its photo captions.
The dedication was part of a history conference and tour held on the campus of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, October 2-4, 2021. Lehigh was the site of the first technical meeting of AIME after its founding in Wilkes-Barre in 1871. For more information on the AIME 150th Anniversary, check the website, http://aimehq.org. Photo Galleries from the Elko Conference. The photo galleries from the 2021 Virtual Annual Conference in are now online. Relive the program, social events, innovative virtual field trips, and a few things you may have missed. Videos of the field trips and some of the presentations are available on YouTube under Mining History Association. MHA NUGGETS PROGRAM. The “Nuggets” on-line program which started in 2020 is going strong in 2021. ZOOM in and visit with your MHA friends and hear some interesting mining history presentations. Contact Eric Nystrom or Barb Clements for access links and more information. Check the MHA Facebook page for up-to-the-minute program additions and changes. January 19, 2021, "Leadville Members of the Denver Club," Barbara Clements, 8:00pm EST, 7:00pm CST. February 16, 2021, “Henry Dodge: Early Conflicts in the Wisconsin Lead Mines,” Tracey Lee Roberts,8:00pm EST, 7:00pm CST. March 16, 2021, “Evolution of the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine,” Jack Crawford, 8:00pm EST, 7:00pm CST. April 20, 2021, “The Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Above and Below Ground,” Mike Kaas and Keith Russ, 8:00pm EST, 7:00pm CST. May 18, 2021, "A Persistent Prospector - A Little Man in a Big Hurry and the 'Big Z'," Mark Langenfeld, 8:00pm EDT, 8:00pm, 7:00pm CST. Following Summer Break, Nuggets will resume in August 2021. Upper Mississippi Valley Mining History (Illinois-Iowa-Wisconsin). A new and well-illustrated book, “Mining in the Driftless” by Steve Bussan, combines the mining history and mineralogy of this lead-zinc mining district visited during the 2013 MHA Conference in Galena, IL. The Death of Clark Spence. Clark C. Spence, one of the Mining History Association's founding members and its first President, passed away on October 24, 2020. Clark was an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, from 1961-1990. He authored of several books on mining history and related topics including "Mining Engineers and the American West: The Lace-Boot Brigade 1849-1933" (1965), "A History of Gold Dredging in Idaho" (2016), and "Montana: A Bicentennial History" (1978). He was known as the dean of mining historians. The Clark Spence Award is given bi-annually to the author(s) of the best book on mining history published during the previous two years. Massachusetts Marble Industry Video. The Astore Quarry Restoration Project recently completed a 15-minute video about the historic Freedley Marble Quarry in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The Freedley Quarry began operations in 1838 and continued into the early 20th century. The prized white marble that came out of this quarry and other nearby quarries was used in the construction of historic buildings in New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. The video, it is available for viewing online. The Astore Quarry Restoration Project and The Freedley Quarry video were recently featured in The Berkshire Edge on-line magazine. Are You Itching to Travel Again? If you are thinking about Europe, you will get plenty of trip planning ideas by visiting the websites for European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). Jump right into the ERIH Mining Theme Route or download a comprehensive brochure. While you are in planning mode, check out the German Ruhr Industrial Heritage Route and explore the dramatic transformation of this extensive mining and metals producing district and its many heritage sites. Another excellent brochure is available for download. New MHA Photo Galleries. Did you miss the 1998 MHA Annual Conference in Rossland, British Columbia? It was the only MHA conference held outside the USA. How about Butte in 2001? Thanks to more photos unearthed by Mark Langenfeld, never-before-seen photo galleries are now on-line for the Rossland conference. Plus, new and improved galleries are online for the Butte conference. If you have some “historic” MHA photos of your own, join our “quaranteam” and send them to Mike Kaas. Mining History Trails. Here are four mining heritage trails that you may want to explore:
January 2021 is Anthracite Mining Heritage Month. This annual event focuses on the history and culture of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite region. Because of the pandemic, all events are being conducted via ZOOM. An excellent series of events will be held from January 17 through 30. CLICK HERE to view the program on the Anthracite Heritage Foundation website. JOIN IN FOR MHA NUGGETS. During the Covid-19 pandemic, you can join the on-line MHA meetings, MHA NUGGETS. The November 20, 2020 meeting at 7:00 pm, Central Standard Time, will be a group discussion of “Your Favorite Historical Mine Tours.” The December topic will be “Your Favorite Operating Mine Tours.” Contact Eric Nystrom or Barb Clements for the ZOOM links.
Ever hear of 8-Wheel Ore Wagons? Your Web Coordinator gets all kinds of questions through the “Contact Us” link on the MHA webpage. Cathy Getz recently asked if we had ever heard of them being used near Creede, Colorado. We had only heard of the tandem wagons used in Death Valley, 2 wagons x 4 wheels = 8 wheels. Cathy has tracked down photos of the wagons being pulled by a Cat and hauling sulfur from the Sulfur Bank Mine south of Creede. CLICK on the photo for a larger view. Thanks for sharing your success, Cathy.
New Virtual Mining History Tours. Three new MHA Virtual Tours have been added for Bisbee, the Michigan Copper Country, and Nevada City/Grass Valley. These reprise some of the earliest MHA conference tours. Special thanks to Mike and Susan Canty, Johnny and Dawn Johnsson, Mark and Lynn Langenfeld, Mike and Pat Kaas and others we may have missed for sharing their photos.
Mining Foundation of the Southwest Honorees. The 2020 honorees for the American Mining Hall of Fame have been announced. The main Inductee is Lukas Lundin, Chairman of the Lundin Group of Companies. Four additional Inductees from Mining’s Past have also been named: Noah S. Kellogg (1831-1903); John Barry “Black Jack” Newman (1862-1928); Lemuel Coove Shattuck (1866-1938); and Albert J. Perry (1930-2013). Saint Barbara’s Day is Coming. In many parts of the world, December 4th is celebrated as the feast day of Saint Barbara. She is considered to be the patron saint of miners as well as artillerymen, military engineers, tunnellers, and others who work with explosives. Shrines to St. Barbara have been erected at many mines where she is venerated. In parts of Europe, the feast day is celebrated with parades of miners and bands appearing in historic mining uniforms. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Saint Barbara tradition. International Mining History Conference CANCELLED. Fellowships and Travel Grants, University of Wyoming. The University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC) has established new fellowships for the study of western political history, the American West, and women in the public sector. Travel grants are also available. Academic scholars at any level may apply. CLICK HERE for more information. 2019
Mining Hall of Fame Inductees. The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado inducted five new members at the 32nd annual Induction Banquet on September 14th in Denver. This year’s inductees are Frank Calandra, Jr., Robert E. Cannon, Robert H. Freeman, and Mary Harris “Mother” Jones.
2018 Robert Kennicott Mystery Solved. The town and mines of Kennecott, Alaska and their next-door neighbor, the Kennicott Glacier, are named for the intrepid scientific explorer, Robert Kennicott. His fateful journey to the mouth of the Yukon River in Russian America paved the way for the waves of prospectors and miners that would follow years later. The mystery of his death in 1866 along the bank of the Yukon River, once thought to be a suicide, has been solved by scientists at the National Museum of Natural History. (Photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution) Book Sale Supports California Women in Mining (WIM) Scholarships. A large collection of mining books, many historical, has been donated to the California Women in Mining by Jack Thompson, Past-CEO of Homestake Mining. The books are being sold to support WIM scholarships. CLICK HERE to see a list of the books. Those interested in making a purchase should contact Dinah Shumway (terramins@hotmail.com), TerraMins, Inc., 12277 Apple Valley Road, #184, Apple Valley, CA 92308, Cell number 760-285-5801. Shipping costs by the US Postal Service “If It Fits, It Ships” are extra.
2016 MHA Members Inducted into National Mining Hall of Fame. Two of our long time MHA members and supporters, Stan Dempsey and Bob Shoemaker, along with two other worthy recipients, Hayden Murray and Bill Poundstone, were inducted into prestigious National Mining Hall of Fame on September 24, 2016 at the annual Induction Banquet. Bob’s daughter, Jan, accepted the award due to her father’s passing earlier in the year. The Woman’s Mining Coalition received the Prazen Living Legend of Mining Award at the same event. CLICK ON the links to see YouTube videos about the amazing achievements of each recipient. The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado tells the story of mining, its people, and its importance to America. It was the site of the MHA Annual Meeting in 2007. National Miners Day. Congress has designated December 6, 2016, as National Miners Day to commemorate the contributions and sacrifices of miners past and present. CLICK HERE to learn more. Idaho Gold Dredging Map Available. Clark Spence’s excellent, recent book, “A History of Gold Dredging in Idaho,” was to contain a map of Major Gold Dredging Sites in Idaho. Due to an unfortunate printing error, the map was not included. It is now available on-line. Just CLICK HERE to download a copy. The map is also available from the publisher’s website. In the book, the author provides his usual comprehensive treatment of the evolution of dredging technology, the history of the major gold dredging locations across the state, the controversy and conflicts regarding dredging, and the aftermath and clean-up of the environmental effects. It is a “must read” for those interested in Idaho’s mining history and the role of dredging in gold production. 2016 Telluride Conference Photos On-Line Photo Galleries of the MHA tours in Bisbee and Tombstone All MHA Newsletters are On-Line E&MJ Celebrates 150 Years 2015 and Earlier Photographs of Historic Idaho Mining Towns MHA President, Bill Culver’s Presidential Address is On-Line | ||||||
