Hello! My name is Kara Stark, and Frank and I spent some quality time cruising around good, 'ole, Southern Illinois! After jamming out to some awesome 90's tunes in the Escort, we decided to make a stop in Herrin, IL, where we observed the Coal Miner's Memorial. We had a little trouble finding it at first. Frank finally decided to stop and ask for directions, and we were able to find it. It was hidden away on the corner of 14th Street and E. Cherry. It was only 16.12 miles (37.803574 latitude, -89.026445 longitude for the map readers out there), but it sure seemed to take all day! After we got out to explore, we were overwhelmed with how many names there were. Frank and I first stopped to read the inscription at the base of the statue, which read, "In memory of coal miners who gave so much that future generations may benefit with a better life. They labored, served their country, sacrificed for their families and some lost their lives. We honor and salute them so that they will never be forgotten." We learned that the monument, dedicated on October 14th, 2000 (my birthday!), depicts a miner returning home and being greeted by his son. We also learned that Southern Illinois used to be a huge coal mining community. In fact, it was the reason that many of the towns in southern Illinois were created! Coal was even called "black gold". As Frank pointed out, it was amazing to see how many names were around the Memorial. It sure is something to know that that many lives were impacted by the coal mining industry. We tried to stay and read all of the dedications, but it was past Frank's bedtime, so we had to make the trip back. It was definitely an interesting trip, and I hope that we can go back, soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment