Working Class Rhetoric: An Exploration of The Mining Rhetoric of Southeast Kansas

The History of Mining in Southeast Kansas

Southeast Kansas has a long and rich history of mining that still shows through the fabric of modern day society. Local families travel to "The Pits," patches of old mines that have been filled with water and reserved for wildlife. The Pits now make excellent camping and fishing spots and are great places to escape into nature. Visitors to the area can see Big Brutus, the largest electric shovel in the world, too large to pack up and remove when the mining era came to an end. The giant machine stands now as a tribute to the rich mining history of the area and in memory of the many families that struggled to carve a living out of the mines. 

Minerals pulled from the Kansas, Oklahoma, and western Missouri soil include lead, zinc, coal, and salt. The time span analyzed here ranges from 1911 and 1930. In Crawford and Cherokee Counties, coal made up the bulk of the mines between 1917 and 1918, and lead and zinc peaked around 1926. These are the minerals that became the center of life for local miners.



The United Mine Workers of America were a crucial and influential force in the early 20th century all across the United States. The collection analyzed here centers on the local activities of this union with emphasis on District 14, which covered Pittsburg, Mullberry, and Frontenac.

From this page, visit various websites and video to gain a little perspective on the history of the mines before diving into the results of our research.

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