Friends of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park

 “To forget our past, is to lose sight of our future…”

Announcements

  • Tuesday, May 22th, 2012 Next Monthly Membership Meeting
    6 PM at Tacconellis in Ironwood on Suffolk.
    A limited number of caps that say, "Miners Memorial Heritage Park- Ironwood, Michigan" will be available at the meeting. Caps will cost $15 each.

  • Thanks for all of the help
    Saturday, April 28th - Hiawatha Brush Clearing,

  • Sunday, April 29th - Tree Planting
    Mike Fauerbach donated 100 white pines to Miners Memorial Heritage Park. The Friends of MMHP had tree planting work bee.

  • Saturday, May 12th - Friends of MMHP Cleanup in the Park
    We achieved a wonderful accomplishment by cleaning out one of the most difficult areas to access in Miners Memorial Heritage Park. Here is a video link summarizing the cleanup. We focused our efforts at cleaning the Townsite Pond which was created by subsidence of the Norrie and Townsite Mines. Illegal dumping has accumulated tires and other large items within this pond for decades. We had a beautiful day and were able to clean out the pond, filling two city trucks with trash, including around one-hundred tires.

  • Guided Walks in the park
    2nd & 4th Tuesday at 6PM starting May 10th.
    On May 24th at 6 pm, we will have a hike focusing on the plants in Miners Memorial Heritage Park. Meet at the parking lot of the High School's baseball field on Ayer Street. This is the second hike of this year.

  • Remembering Edward Alonen
    On February 25th, one of our members, Ed Alonen, passed away. Ed had attended meetings, parades, cleanups, and helped chip the Aurora Trail last summer. Ed was a miner in the Newport and Geneva Mines in Ironwood, as well as the White Pine Mine. In addition, he was a World War II veteran. It is sad to lose someone with such a direct connection to the mining history of Ironwood. Condolences go out to his family.

  • Gordon and Betsy Pekuri donated to the MMHP in honor of Mark Fitting

  • Miners Ski/Walk Trail
    Click for larger picture
     The Miners Memorial Heritage Park (MMHP) encompasses the former iron ore mining locations within the City of Ironwood (locally known as the caves area). The discovery of these mines resulted in the establishment of the City of Ironwood in the latter part of the 19th century. The last iron ore mine in the City of Ironwood closed in 1966.

Our group,  the Friends of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park , was created to promote, maintain and create the Miners Memorial Heritage Park within the mining areas of Ironwood.

In July 2010, the City of Ironwood passed a resolution which created the Miners Memorial Heritage Park by the request of the Friends of Miners Memorial Heritage Park. We plan on creating interpretive signs along paths that inform visitors of the buildings and mine shafts that for years were part of the landscape. Miners Memorial Heritage Park encourages visitors to learn about and respect the mining heritage of the area, provide four-season exercise and recreational venues and afford direct and indirect economic benefits.

Interperative signage, reconstruction of a mining headframe and historical photos will create an outdoor museum allowing the individual to experience history irst-hand. Non-motorized trails will be used for activities including hiking, biking, running, walking, skiing, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, while providing safe corridors between many locations within the City of Ironwood and the opportunity for regional trail connections. Miners Memorial Heritage Park will provide a unique attraction for residents and tourists alike!

The Park is “Dedicated to those who toiled underground to work these mines. Many died in the darkness so future generations could live in the light.”

 

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VIDEO
"Community Project-Miner's Memorial Heritage Park, Ironwood,MI"

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