Keeping the big question in mind ...

If the ghosts of coal miners and railroaders from the past visited today's world, what changes would they find the most disturbing, surprising, expected, or exciting at a modern day mine?

You will continue your time trip into the history of coal with the team that your teacher has assigned. First you need to brush up on your knowledge of coal. Complete Task #1 as a team.  Each member individually will visit the sites listed in Task #1 and take notes on coal. 

Task #1: Visit each of the two sites below individually, take written notes and share what you find. Take turns reporting information you already knew, the most surprising facts you discovered and  information that makes you think of  questions you'd like to ask.

Here are the websites to visit to complete this task.

www.rootsweb.com/~wymining/beeler1907.html(Scroll down to Coal)

www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/html/coal/coal_create.html

Task #2: Each member of your group will research one of the categories listed below: Life as a Miner, The Role of the Railroad, Disasters, or Ghost Towns.   Remember to find information that will be interesting to readers of a commemorative newspaper and find enough information that you will understand what life as a miner really was like decades ago, what influence the railroad had on a miner’s life and mining, what dangers a miner faced every time he went down into a mine, and what happened when the coal market died.

Research Tips: Sifting through information at sources like these websites is like looking for buried treasure. Use your good judgement to record the most impressive, credible, and important information in your notes and pass over the rest. Think about the product you will be creating with the information you discover. In this case, what will help you create your story, diary entry, or newspaper? Be on the lookout for accounts of historical events.

Tech Tip: Remember to bookmark sites that are most helpful so you can come back to them easily.

Here are the categories and website connections for Task #2.

Life as a Miner

• A Trip Inside the Mine - the recollections of George Kuzara, who worked at the Star Mine in Sheridan

www.kuzara.net/

• So You Want to Mine Coal

www.bootsnall.com/articles/01-11/so-you-want-to-mine-coal-gebo-wyoming-gebo-wyoming-usa.html

• Coal Miners in the Past

www.umwa.org/mining/oldpic1.shtml

• The Japanese in Wyoming

www.wwcc.cc.wy.us/wyo_hist/Japanese.1.htm

• Wyoming and the Chinese: Cultural Diversity, 1850 to 1895 (This is a long article. Pay close attention to their role in the railroad and mining.)

www.wwcc.cc.wy.us/wyo_hist/ev.wyoming_and_the_chinese.htm

The Role of the Railroad

• Wyoming’s State Geological Survey (Coal Mining and the Railroad)

www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/Coal/HistMineInfo.aspx

• Wyoming’s Railroad History

wyoarchives.state.wy.us/articles/railroad.htm

• Rock Springs Massacre- (It may take some time for the entire page to load. When loading is complete, scroll down just a little more than halfway and read the three articles pertaining to the Rock Springs Massacre. )

members.xoom.virgilio.it/all42day/history/h4sep/h4sep02.html

Disasters

• Mining Tragedies (Coal Mine Disasters)

www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/Coal/HistMineInfo.aspx

• Hannah Mine Disaster

www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/coal3.html

• United States Mine Rescue Association

www.usmra.com/saxsewell/historical.htm

• 1898 Coal Mining Accidents in Wyoming

www.rootsweb.com/~wymining/1898accidents.html

Ghost Towns

• Ghost Towns of Wyoming (Find at least three ghost towns pertaining to the coal industry.  What led to their demise? Have fun! Enjoy the music and pictures.)

www.ghosttowns.com/states/wy/wyalpha.html

Moving on ...

With your team research complete and your notes in hand, move to PROCESSING ideas.

EXPLORATION

MINING

PROCESSING

PRODUCT

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