U.S. Hall of Fame set to expand

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum is constructing a replica of a coal mine.

The museum already features a walk-through replica of a hardrock mine (complete with twisting caverns, mine timbers and haulage tracks), and completion of the new exhibit is expected in May.

Situated in a converted schoolhouse high in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, the 8-year-old museum attracts 25,000 visitors each year and includes a library, mineral specimens and convention centre.

Authenticity is the goal, explains Carl Miller, president and executive director of the museum. “We’ve really tried to recreate the feeling of an underground experience.”

Another project, “The Magic of Industrial Minerals,” for which $100,000 was donated last September, is in the design phase, with construction slated to begin this fall.

Also in the works is a $100,000 exhibit for the Denver International Airport, which will highlight the historical importance of mining in Colorado.