Cherry Coal Mine, Cherry, IL
Posted by: 
KG1960
N 41° 25.778 W 089° 12.802
16T E 315060 N 4588816
An abandoned coal mine, opened in 1904 and closed in 1935, in Cherry, IL, that was the site of a terrible mining disaster in 1909.
Waymark Code: WM168N
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 01/29/2007
Views: 132
This coal mine was opened in 1904 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad (eventually known as the Milwaukee Road). The mine was a deep shaft mine and had three levels. The first level was at about 165 feet but it was not mined because the coal was poor quality and had no commercial value. The second level was at about 315 feet and the third at about 500 feet down. Coal production was approximately 1500 tons per day mainly for use by the railroad. In November 1909 a fire broke out that ultimately led to the deaths of 259 miners. The mine was reopened in 1910 and was sold to the Cherry Mine Company in 1927 who operated it to 1935.
On Saturday, November 13, 1909, a fire broke out in the Cherry coal mine resulting in the deaths of 259 miners. This was the worst coal mine fire disaster in the U.S. and the third worst of all types of mine disasters. Twelve of the dead included rescuers who went in and out of the mine several times rescuing miners before they themselves were consumed by the fire. Twenty-one miners managed to seal themselves at the end of a far tunnel and were found alive after about 8 days.
One result of this disaster was stricter laws on worker's compensation were passed. Also, child labor laws were toughened because a few of the lost miners were underage boys.
Cherry is a few miles northwest of La Salle-Peru, IL. All that remains of the mine today is the tailings pile north of town, which is all on private property with no public access. An Illinois Historical Marker commemorating the lost miners is within site of the piles. The coordinates posted are for this marker.
If one is interesting in learning more about this mine disaster and its times, this book is recommended, "Trapped: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster" by Karen Tintori.
Also here are some web sites with more information on this mine:
Illinois Historical Society: (
visit link)
A private web site: (
visit link)
A very good video on YouTube (6.5 minutes long): (
visit link)