On April 21, 1545, a man named Juan de Villarroel filed the first mining claim at Potosí, in what is now Bolivia. The silver mine in the mountain known as Cerro Rico would feed the Spanish coffers, f
On January 23, 1890, the United Mine Workers of America formed. One of the most important labor unions in American history, examining the foundation of the UMWA is a window into the position and idea
In the debate over Trump destroying the Utah national monuments, there’s been a lot of discussion over who matters in that state. Were these monuments foisted upon the people of Utah, even thoug
Meet your newly confirmed Mine Safety and Health Administration head David Zatezalo: The coal mining company run by President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s top mining regulator has alr
Americans often look at Canada as some sort of liberal paradise. And in some ways, obviously the domestic politics are less toxic than that of the United States. But Canada’s natural resource co
On December 30, 1970, a coal mine exploded on Hurricane Creek, near Hyden, Kentucky. Thirty-eight miners died that day, yet another example of the terrible safety conditions of coal mining, even at a
On December 19, 1907, the Darr Mine near Smithton, Pennsylvania, caught fire and exploded. 239 people died, many of them children. This was the largest workplace disaster in Pennsylvania history. The
In 1985, I took the first trip of my life. We drove from Oregon to Minnesota for a family reunion. For me, at that age, this was exciting. As we drove east on I-90, we stopped in Butte, Montana. There