Title Hard as the rock itself : place and identity in the American mining town / David Robertson

Edition 1st pbk. ed Published Boulder, Colo. : University Press of Colorado, 2010, ©2006

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 216 pages) : illustrations, maps Series Mining the American West Mining the American West. Contents Cover -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- The Mining Imaginary -- Place, Identity, and the Mining Landscape -- 2. TOLUCA -- The Longwall Mining District -- A Rip-Roaring Town -- Mine Closure and Community Survival -- Miningâ€?s Legacies -- Saving the Jumbos -- Reclaiming the Jumbos -- 3. 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 -- 4. PICHER The Tri-State Mining DistrictLandscape and Identity in Early Picher -- “Sores Beyond Cureâ€? -- Hard As the Rock Itself -- Mine Closure and Community Survival -- The Tragedy of Tar Creek -- Whither Relocation? -- The “Town that Jack Builtâ€? -- 5. CONCLUSION -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z Summary The first intensive analysis of sense of place in American mining towns, Hard as the Rock Itself: Place and Identity in the American Mining Town provides rare insight into the struggles and rewards of life in these communities. David Robertson contends that these communities - often characterized in scholarly and literary works as derelict, as sources of debasing moral influence, and as scenes of environmental decay - have a strong and enduring sense of place and have even embraced some of the signs of so-called dereliction. Robertson 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. Acknowledging the hardships that mining's social, environmental, and economic legacies have created for current residents, Robertson argues that the industry's influences also have contributed to the creation of strong, cohesive communities in which residents have always identified with the severe landscape and challenging, but rewarding way of life. Robertson contends that the tough, unpretentious appearance of mining landscapes mirrors qualities that residents value in themselves, confirming that a strong sense of place in mining regions, as elsewhere, is not necessarily wedded to an attractive aesthetic or even to a thriving economy. Mining historians, geographers, and other students of place in the American landscape will find fascinating material in Hard As the Rock Itself Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-208) and index Notes Print version record Subject 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 HISTORY/United States/ State & Local -- West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY) Cities and towns -- Social conditions Coal mines and mining Group identity Mines and mineral resources Colorado -- Cokedale Illinois -- Toluca Oklahoma -- Picher United States Genre/Form Case studies History Case studies. Études de cas. Form Electronic book ISBN 9781607320685 1607320681

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