A beautiful memorial stone to the 259 men and boys who died by fire and smoke and far underground, can be found in Holy Trinity Miners Cemetery at Cherry, Illinois, approximately 100 miles west of Chicago. It is well worth the trip. This impressive monument to the victims was erected by the United Mine Workers of America.
Cherry is easily reached on IL89 for Interstate 80. Take Exit 70 north on IL89 through the town of Ladd to Cherry (4 miles). The cemetery is on the southern edge of Cherry alongside IL89.
The Cherry Library contains many photographs and artifacts from the disaster. The Library and Town Hall is in the business district on the west side of IL89. The library hours are quite limited, however. It is open on Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, and on Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The telephone number is (815)894-2919. Perhaps a phone call could arrange an appointment to accomodate your needs.
There is a plaque commemorating the Disaster located in the village park north of the business district at the intersection of Main St. and North Ave. It was erected in 1986 by the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
A good class project would be to look up Chicago newspaper treatment of the Cherry Disaster. It was extensive and dramatic. For class reports the students could specialize in different aspects of the story: rescue efforts; relief efforts; ethnic composition of the Cherry miners; child workers in the mines; political response; legislative consequences; editorial reaction in the Chicago press, and so on.
There is a statue of a miner who has returned safely from a day in the mine, and is embracing a child. That statue is in a Chicago park on the West Side. Who can find it? Is there a story behind the statue? Can a student take a picture and bring it to class? Clue: Ask your alderman to have the Chicago Municipal Library search their records for background on the statue. It is in Humboldt Park, and was badly deteriorated by weather and graffitti, when last we looked.
The Illinois Labor History Society
28 E. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 663-4107