Getting to the campground and the one-way road in and out of the campground is almost a blog entry in itself. It was quite the white knuckle, heart-thumping ride in a big rig. My hat is off to WV truckers who deal with those roads on a daily basis.
The mine tour is around 30 minutes long, and our tour guide was a former miner and a former federal mine inspector. Mining is not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic. It's hard to imagine drilling holes by hand when you're lying on your side or back. There's not enough room to stand up. This particular mine has been substantially heightened to allow tours. Most of the time, the mines were about 36" in height at best.
We learned the expression, "fire in the hole" came from mining. After they drilled those holes in the coal seam, they packed them with dynamite. They'd yell "fire in the hole" to let others know that they were blasting. Once the holes had been blasted, they'd shovel the coal into the carts to send to the top. That's a lot of work for 20 cents per ton.
The mine tour also includes access to the mining camp exhibits. Houses, church, schools gave an idea of a mining town. The exhibits are well-maintained and staffed by folks who are eager to share their stories.
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| Drilling the holes |
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| Cutting machine |
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| Campground |
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