National Mining Hall of Fame facts for kids
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National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum Entrance
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| Established | 1977 |
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| Location | 120 West 9th Street, Leadville, Colorado |
The National Mining Hall of Fame is a cool museum located in Leadville, Colorado, in the United States. It's all about celebrating the amazing work of miners and everyone involved with finding and using natural resources. The museum also helps teach people about the important mining industry.
This museum is super special because it's the only national mining museum with a special approval from the United States Congress. This approval, called a Congressional charter, was given on November 14, 1988, by President Ronald Reagan. It means the museum is officially recognized as a national treasure.
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History of the Museum
The idea for the museum started in 1987. It was first planned to be built in Golden, Colorado. But then, the town of Leadville was going through a tough time. Many mines there had closed in the 1980s.
Because of this, some people who had promised to donate money for the museum changed their minds. So, the project chairman, Doug Watrous, asked Richard Moolick to talk with the city of Leadville. Leadville offered a fantastic deal: the museum could lease a building for 110 years for only 50 cents a year!
Even with this great offer, the museum still needed money. A former state senator, Joe Shoemaker, suggested they find 100 people to donate $1,000 each. It took a year, but they successfully raised all the money! In 1988, the museum moved into its new home. This building used to be the Leadville Junior High School and before that, the Leadville High School.
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What You Can See at the Museum
The museum is quite large, covering about 25,000 square feet (that's about 2,300 square meters!). It has many exciting things to explore.
Some of the main exhibits include:
- A detailed model railroad that shows how mining materials are transported.
- A cool walk-through replica of an underground hardrock mine, so you can see what it's like to be a miner.
- The Gold Rush room, filled with many examples of real native gold.
- A huge collection of beautiful mineral specimens.
- An art gallery featuring mining-related artwork.
- A gift shop where you can find souvenirs.
Honoring Mining Heroes
The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum is a special place that honors men and women who have done amazing things in the mining world. People are chosen for the Hall of Fame by the museum's board of governors. To be chosen, a person must have made important contributions to American mining.
They consider all kinds of people, like:
- Prospectors (people who search for minerals)
- Miners
- Mining leaders
- Engineers
- Teachers
- Financiers (people who handle money for mining projects)
- Inventors
- Journalists
- Geologists (scientists who study rocks and minerals)
Some famous people honored include Georgius Agricola, Herbert Hoover (who was also a U.S. President!), and Horace Tabor.
Learning About Mining's Impact
A writer named James Loewen once pointed out that the Hall of Fame mostly honored scientists, mining bosses, and owners of big mining companies. He felt that not enough individual miners, explorers, or labor leaders were included. He also noted that historically, mining has been a very diverse job in America, but the people honored were mostly white men.
Mr. Loewen also mentioned that the museum didn't have a specific memorial for the thousands of people who lost their lives working in coal mines. However, the museum has since added an important exhibit called "Buried Sunlight: Coal Mining in America." This exhibit, which opened in 2017, now explores important topics like social issues, worker safety, and environmental concerns related to coal mining. This shows the museum is working to tell a more complete story about mining and its impact.
