July, 2019
Being a visit to two museums in Colorado: one for mining and the other for cars and trains.
Colorado
The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, Colorado had a rocky start considering its creation was at the same time as the general decline of the mining industry in Colorado. But, it is a surprisingly complete museum in the old high school building of Leadville.
You'll be given a map at the reception desk, and it's a good idea to make note of the many rooms. It would be easy to miss things.
Their collection of minerals is impressive. In this room you'll see what is being mined, and in other rooms you'll learn more about how these minerals are used.
Historic mining tools. The history of the mining lamp is interesting; it goes back for centuries.
In a sense, this museum is a collection of specialty museums. There isn't an overarching design of the exhibits--only that they are all about some aspect of mining.
The hall-of-fame is pretty extensive, but I found the plaques that describe each inductee just about impossible to read.
Tools from the research and engineering side of mining.
The replica of what an actual mine looks like was especially well done.
This is not meant to be a Leadville museum, but naturally, there is quite a bit on the history of this important mining region.
The sections that are industry sponsored are easy to recognize (don't call it coal, call it "buried sunlight").
The dozens (hundreds?) of different minerals that go into all of our common devices is amazing. Each is shown, and a fair amount of information is given as to its use and importance and where-in-the world it comes from.
The Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver, Colorado represents the collection and vision of one man (J. D. Forney). It can be eclectic (some of the worst cars of the 1970s are in the collection) but it's a worthwhile museum to visit.
The Union Pacific Big Boy (#4005) is a monster of a locomotive.
Some cars you might expect to see in a museum; others, perhaps not. Still, I'm glad that somebody is saving a horrible wood-panel K-car with purple interior. Some of these cars will make you smile with their dreadfulness.
