National Mining Hall of Fame

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Mining Hall of Fame is a museum located in Leadville, Colorado, USA, dedicated to commemorating the work of miners and people the work with natural resources. The museum also participates in efforts to inform the public about the mining industry.

[edit] History

The museum was incorporated in 1977, and it was to be built on land owned by the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. As the building was to be built, the town of Leadville was facing hard times. With the closure of mines in Leadville in the 1980s, some possible contributors withdrew their contributions. After the chairman of the project, Doug Watrous, asked Richard Moolick, another board director, to negotiate with the city of Leadville, he came back with the offer. Moolick said they offered $0.50 a year for a 110 year lease. But the museum still needed money, so Joe Shoemaker, a former state senator, suggested that the museum seek 100 contributors that would donate $1,000.00 each. It took one year, but the museum was able to raise all the money. In 1987, the museum moved to a building that was the former Leadville Junior High School and before that the Leadville High School. ^[1]