Title: Hard as the rock itself : place and identity in the American mining town /
Authors: Robertson, David, 1966-
Publisher: University Press of Colorado,
Year: 2006
Subjects: Coal mines and mining Illinois Toluca History.; Coal mines and mining Colorado Cokedale History.; Mines and mineral resources Oklahoma Picher History.; Cities and towns United States Social conditions.; Group identity United States Case studies.
Abstract: "The first intensive analysis of sense of place in American mining towns, [book title] provides rare insight into the struggles and rewards of life in these communities. [author] contends that these communities ... have a strong and enduring sense of place and have even embraced some of the signs of so-called dereliction. [author] documents the history of Toluca, Illinois; Cokedale, Colorado; and Picher, Oklahoma, from the mineral discovery phase through mine closure, telling for the first time how these century-old mining towns have survived and how sense of place has played a vital role."--Book jacket.
Contents: The mining imaginary : place, identity, and the mining landscape -- Toluca : the Longwall mining district. A "rip-roaring" town. Mine closure and community survival. Mining's legacies. Saving the jumbos. Reclaiming the jumbos -- Cokedale : the Trinidad coal field. A model company town. The utopian myth. Mine closure and community survival. Life and landscape in the post-mining era. Preserving Cokedale -- Picher : the tri-state mining district. Landscape and identity in early Picher. "Sores beyond cure." Hard as the rock itself. Mine closure and community survival. The tragedy of Tar Creek. Whither relocation? The "town that Jack built" -- Conclusion.