P age 32
2009 P h i l i p sbu rg T er r i tory
Miner’s Event Honors Philipsburg’s Hard Rock Heritage A hundred years ago, “hard rock” meant something much different from longhaired musicians and wailing guitars. When the two North American land plates smashed together millions of years ago the resulting pressure uplifted the towering Rocky Mountains and, beneath them, under incredible heat and pressure, created veins and pockets of precious minerals. A century and a half ago, prospectors roaming the hills and valleys around Philipsburg hoped to find placer gold–valuable yellow metal brought to the surface by geologic action. They hoped to find exposed gold nuggets and flakes, ripe for the picking. This was mining the easy way, if such a thing can be said of existing in the wilderness of early Montana, living off the land. However, little surface gold was found in Granite County. It wasn’t until 1864 when the first outcroppings
of silver were discovered, in the hills just north of Philipsburg that Granite County’s mining industry truly began. In addition, these delicate surface veins meant the precious minerals were what were called “lode” deposits, ores that could only be extracted by digging into the ground. This much more difficult type of extraction, down through hundreds and then thousands of feet of solid stone, was the birth of hard rock mining here in Philipsburg. It was indeed hard. Strong men, armed only with metal bars and hammers, chipped away at the rock, opening up holes for dynamite charges. As they burrowed down into the mountains, they worked in cramped shafts that were often cold and wet from water seeping through the rock walls. These “hard rock” miners were some of the bravest, toughest men in American history. To honor the legacy of these early
Bill Hellman competes in Jackleg drilling that blends air pressure and water to cut through rock. Judge drops his hand when exact depth is reached.
miners, Philipsburg celebrates Miner’s Union Days each September. Based on the annual picnic and mining competitions of the 19th century, this event is a great experience for anyone who wants to see what mining was, and is, all about. Some of the Rockies’ best hard rock miners compete at this event. Contestants are expected from several states and the competition is becoming popular with these top diggers. “We love the Miner’s Union event in Philipsburg,” said Hecla Mining’s Doug Bayer. “It’s so much a part of Philipsburg’s heritage and they put on a great show. It’s nice for visitors to see some of today’s top miners compete and also visit the museum to see the history of our industry.” The competitions include drilling, where a miner uses a heavy “jack leg” drill to collar and drill two holes in Joe Quimby competes in the Spike Driving to score the best time during a concrete block against the clock. one of the many competitions held during the Miners Union Picnic. This event includes team drilling as
well. There is a mucking competition, which is a timed event to see how fast a miner can remove the muck left behind after a dynamite blast. There is also spike driving, which is a test of speed and accuracy as huge metal nails are driven into mine timbers. Finally, there is the “12B mucker” which is another event involving loading rock, this time with a small mine car as was used in many of Philipsburg’s silver mines. There are mining competitions for kids as well! The events are exciting spectacles and the contestants are of all ages, with the veterans often besting the young hard rock miners. It is a chance to witness the strength and skill that these men bring to a job that is vital to America’s manufacturing and export industries. What a visitor cannot see is the bravery it takes to perform these daily tasks thousands of feet below daylight in the darkness and chilly moisture of deep underground mines.