Breaking ground for the Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park in Ely Township are, from left, Jeremy Lasko, Jim Paquette, Glenn Wing and Annie Tippett. (Annie Lippert/Mining Journal photo)

ELY — Representatives from Ely Township and the Barnes-Hecker 100th Anniversary Committee came together May 22 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park.

The park is at the site of the old Barnes-Hecker mine, where 51 men lost their lives in the mine’s collapse and flooding on Nov. 3, 1926.

“The Barnes-Hecker tragedy left a wound that has never fully faded,” said Glenn Wing, Ely Township supervisor and project manager for the park. “Even so, many years later, we continue to honor the men who died and families who endured their loss.

“Their memory deserves more than a date in history; it deserves a place in our public life, and in our hearts. May this memorial park offer that place, of quiet reflection, respect and remembrance for generations.”

For many years, the old mine has been private property, meaning that the families of those who died were unable to visit and pay their respects. That was especially painful, as the majority of the men who died that day were unable to be recovered and remain inside of the mine, meaning that their families were unable to visit their graves. All that has changed now that Ely Township owns the land.

Signage for the Barnes-Hecker Memorial Park in Ely Township. (Annie Lippert/Mining Journal photo)

The park will consist of a flattered area with the fenced-in shaft in the center, as well as a restored machine house and a paved memorial walkway. The park will have a parking lot and a bathroom.

“At the caving (ground) at the lake, there will be an overlook,” Wing said. “One of our plans for that was that people go there and see it, but also there’s been a history of people, families going and throwing flowers on the water.

“They haven’t had a very good chance to do that for many years with (the land) being private. Now, there will be a spot where they can go right to the water’s edge, and they can put flowers on,” Wing said.

The walkway leading to the water will be lined with 51 plaques, one for each lost miner, with his name, information about his life and a photo if one was available. These plaques will be placed in groups of five.

“Some of them we’re grouping by relatives, because they were fathers and sons, and uncles and brothers … some families have numerous relatives,” Wing said. “Others were close friends, and we’ve been able to, through research, learn a lot about these men … their plaque will be the buddies they worked with, and who they were working with on that day.”

Ely Township is also commissioning three statues to be placed around the park. One of these statues will be of a woman in 1920s-period clothes placing flowers on the water. Another statue will feature the story of Rutherford “Wilfred” Wills, the only survivor of the Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster.

“He climbed 800 feet in a little over 15 minutes up a ladder to beat the water,” Wing said. “He started out with four guys with him, and when he got to the top he was the only one left on the ladder. One of the statues will be of a miner climbing a ladder.

“The last statue will be more family-oriented, because at noon, they would blast just before noon, and men would come up, from the Barnes-Hecker location, just up the road a little bit here. Families, either wives or children, would bring a fresh lunch to their husbands here.

“On the day of the cave-in, when they arrived here to find the mine had caved and their men were lost, there were a number of women that were bringing lunches here, and we commissioned a statue of a woman and a child, with one of them holding a lunch bucket, looking at the shaft.”

Wing said the park is meant to commemorate not only the miners who died, but also the families they left behind.

“There (were) 41 widows and 130-some children at the time of the cave-in,” Wing said. “And these people struggled. These women raised families, a lot of them on their own, and they made it. It’s a terrible thing to happen to them, but it’s also a great success story in terms of how strong our people are in this area.”

“It wasn’t just these 51 men who were killed,” said Jim Paquette, historian and retired mine safety officer. “Over a thousand miners were killed on the Marquette Iron Range … this was only one part of our story. And so what we’re here to do is certainly to honor these people, the ultimate sacrifice that they paid, but it’s also important to remember that so many others paid that same sacrifice.”

The park was funded through a $50,000 America 250 grant; some of that money is being used for the various events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster and the rest is going toward the park.

“With this memorial park, we are creating a place where visitors can learn the history, honor the miners and understand the human cost of industrial tragedy,” Wing said. “It will serve as a permanent reminder of the resilience and importance of never forgetting those who came before us.”

The park’s dedication ceremony has been set for 11 a.m. Eastern time Sept. 5.

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550, or alippert@miningjournal.net.