Ironwood history honored in mining mural

By BRYAN HELLIOS

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Ironwood - A couple dozen people gathered on Lowell Street Saturday morning for the Pabst Mine Mural dedication ceremony.

The mural, drawn by local artist Dan Perotti, serves as a memorial for the over 1,100 men who lost their lives in mining accidents on the Gogebic Iron Range.

"This is a representation of why our community is here," Annette Burchell, mayor of Ironwood said while adding, "This wonderful community was built on the hard backs and the sacrifices of men and families who are honored in this mural."

She said the piece of art is visually beautiful which ties the history of the community into the modern era

"It's just a great reminder of where we came from and honoring that," Burchell said.

Local historian, Ivan Hellen was consulted to ensure the painting accurately represented the mining era.

"That's an actual photo of the Pabst Mine," he said as he pointed to the painting of the mine's head frame on the mural .

In 1926, 43 men were trapped underground for five days during the Pabst Mine disaster which resulted in three men loosing their lives. The story about the trapped miners made headlines in many newspapers across America.

"That's how important this Pabst Mine was to Ironwood and the nation," Hellen said, adding the disaster brought about changes in how mining operations were conducted.

"They started to consider mine safety, finally after all these years," he said. "After that the fatalities really went down."

Perotti said the mural depicts a time when the local economy was thriving due to the mining range which began in the Iron Belt Wisconsin and extended past Houghton.

"This area at one time was looked up to," he said. "It was a famous area."

During the "glory days," Perotti said the area was one of the richest in the country.

"People are proud of that, even though it's kinda tough now," he said.