“This coal mining town, a town that supplied enough coal for one-sixth of the country, was sold in its entirety after the mine closed in 1950. Nothing is left except its cemetery. I knew that but went there anyway, for the cemetery has its own story to tell.
Dawson began operations in 1901. Its population eventually reached 9,000 as Phelps Dodge attempted to create a vibrant company town. Amenities like a swimming pool, golf course and a large shopping area were added to attract people to this isolated and rather barren part of the state. And people from all over the world found their way to Dawson: Greeks, Italians, Swedes, Poles, Irish, Chinese and Mexicans lived and worked in this otherwise sparsely settled corner of the world for 50 years. The mine itself was reputed to be well-run and a model of safe practices.
However, on October 22, 1913 an explosion rocked the Stag Canyon Mine No. 2. Of the 286 men who had entered the mine that morning, only 23 survived. A dynamite charge had caused coal dust to ignite. Mining safety laws had been violated. It remains the second-largest mining disaster in the United States.
Ten years later, sparks from a derailed mining car caused a coal dust explosion in Stag Canyon Mine No. 1. The disaster killed 123 miners, some of whom were the children of those killed in the 1913 incident.
There are 383 iron crosses in the town’s cemetery. A miner is buried beneath each one. The crosses are painted a bright and shining white, in contrast to both the lush green grasses that blow in the wind across the gravesites and the blackness of the coal mines where they died. Other headstones with heartfelt inscriptions in various languages speak of our immigrant nation, and the high price paid by so many here in Dawson.”
Jon Knudsen
I think most mining towns have sad stories. What a hard way to make a living . Thanks for sharing the story and the grave yard seems very well kept. You captured it so well.
Thanks so much for commenting on my photo of the iron crosses in the Dawson, NM, cemetery. This was an incredibly sad place to visit.