Coal Miners Memorial - West Frankfort, Illinois - Occupational Monuments on Waymarking.com

Memorial located near the Depot Veterans Museum in downtown West Frankfort. The granite pyramid shaped memorial is symbolic of Little Egypt, the nickname for Southern Illinois. The memorial is engraved with mining motifs and with the following inscriptions:

 "We can only hope and pray that this monument will always serve as an ever lasting memorial to all coal miners everywhere; those  who work and live, those who worked and died, those who gave and sacrificed so much, those who gave it all." - Saturday , September 23, 1989

"We lived by the mine whistles
Set our clocks by them
Went to work by them
Mourned our dead by them"
                   Peter Simko

"Coal Miner"
by June Wujcik Valenciano

In by-gone days of carbide light...lunch buckets, held in hand,
The "MINER" grabbed his pick and shovel, and walked across the land.
Up to the shaft...where he went down into the Earth, below...
To blast and dig, and load...by hand, our precious resource, "COAL".

By hand, he loaded every ton. By tonnage, he was paid.
His calloused hands and body ached.  He never knew his fate!
The methane gas and weakened shafts have caused some men to die.
Explosives..burst!  The whitles' curse!  The families ...left to cry!

He paved the way for modern times and high technology,
Where men remove and load the "COAL", with great machinery.
The dangers still remain the same.  For "YOU" the people pray!
"COAL MINER", WE SALUTE YOU, IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY.

"COAL" is found in many States and Many different Countries.
The "MINER" works courageously to bring forth Earth's great bounty.
He made our Nations prosperous.  "COAL" is our Source-of-Power.
"COAL MINER", we'll remember that "YOU" risk your life each hour.
WE HONOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WITHIN THE EARTH BELOW!
WE HONOR "YOU" WHO BLAST AND DIG AND LOAD OUR RESOURCE..."COAL"

As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.