Thursday Is National Miners Day
Of all the days that are designated a national day, I agree that one should be devoted to miners. National Day Calendar lists National Miners Day as December 6th.
Until I visited a coal mine, I never thought much about mining. I have taken the Lackawanna Coal Mine tour in Scranton, Pennsylvania twice, and each time I come back appreciating all the hard work and dedication of those who have spent or now spend their working lives in mines.
It's never an easy job, but before more strict safety measures went into place in the 1960s and 1970s, mining was a far dangerous job. Miners put their lives on the line every day. I became very aware of that fact after touring a mine.
On the tour, I came to the realization at how mining could be a hard and dangerous job. Just dealing with the darkness of a mine would be enough of a daily challenge for anyone. Then there's the health risks and toughness of the job, among other issues.
The materials that are excavated from mines can be found in so many products we use and we forget or don't realize exactly where they came from or how they became products that we use.
According to the National Day Calendar, "National Miner’s Day marks the anniversary of the worst mining accident in history on December 6, 1907, in Monogah, West Virginia. The disaster resulted in the deaths of 362 miners. In 2009, Congress proclaimed the day be observed each year on December 6th.''
Thursday, take a moment and honor all those hard working miners past and present.
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