04-10-2010, 04:27 PM
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#9637 (permalink)
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Drifting
Administrator
Location: Windy City
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That would be correct!
Quote:
ALSO known as Mine 18, Blue Heron was a Stearns Coal & Lumber Company-owned coal mining camp supported by Mine 18. It is located on SH 742, nine miles southwest of Stearns at the west end of Mine 18 Road, in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
It was in operation from 1937 through December 1962. At its peak it employed 300 miners, and was carved into the side of a mountain overlooking the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The camp consisted of wooden homes, a store, church and school. The buildings have been restored and the site is operated as a concession in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
When Blue Heron was abandoned in 1962, some structures were removed and others were left to the elements, which rapidly took their toll. In the 1980s, the coal camp was rebuilt as an outdoor museum to show what the town looked like at its prime. The rebuilt structures are not recreations of the original buildings, but open shells called "ghost structures," which were built where the originals once stood. They were also built as close as possible to the originals in size and orientation. Inside each of these coverings, an aspect of life in the community is showcased. The National Park Service (NPS) has installed audio programs along with the static displays, creating a true museum to old King Coal.
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Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna
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