Oriole Mine

Coordinates: 37°17′52″N 87°34′13″W / 37.29778°N 87.57028°W / 37.29778; -87.57028
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Oriole, Kentucky)
Oriole Mine
Place
Oriole Mine is located in Kentucky
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine is located in the United States
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine
Coordinates: 37°17′52″N 87°34′13″W / 37.29778°N 87.57028°W / 37.29778; -87.57028
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountyHopkins
Elevation
397 ft (121 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CST)
GNIS feature ID508756[1]

Oriole is a place located in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States. The origin of the name Oriole is unknown, and the place never had a post-office. Oriole is located four miles south-west of Madisonville, on Clear Creek.[2]

Oriole might be mentioned in the Mott the Hoople song "All the Way from Memphis" written by Ian Hunter,[3] as a result of guitarist Mick Ralphs' guitar being sent there by accident.[4][5]

Oriole mine[edit]

Oriole was home to the Oriole mine owned by the Bell and Zoller Coal and Mining Company.[6] The roof of the mine was very weak shale.[7] Roof bolting to secure the slate roof of the mine began in 1950.[8] In 1952 a man was killed at the mine in a slate-fall.[9] In 1954 a loader-operator was badly burned in a methane explosion at the mine.[10] The output of the mine in 1959 was 747,313 tons of coal, making it one of the top ten coal-producing mines in Hopkins county.[11] In April 1966 the mine was the site of an unsanctioned walk-out by workers striking in protest at the failure of the mine-owners to negotiate a new contract.[12][13] In early August 1966 another strike began at the mine over seniority rights.[14] Talks were held in Madisonville to resolve the strike.[15] In 1967 the mine was the site of a major fire that began when a cable short-circuited in a bore-hole.[16]

The mine was active through the 1950s[8] and 1960s but closed in the early 1970s. In 2012 the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands began planning the redevelopment of the former site of the mine.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Oriole Mine
  2. ^ "Oriole, Kentucky". Kyatlas.com. Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (21 December 2013). "Top 10 Road Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ^ Suwak, Jeff (16 June 2020). "Oriole, Kentucky All The Way From Memphis by Mott the Hoople". Songfacts. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ Harris, John (7 Jan 2010). Hail! Hail! Rock'n'roll: The Ultimate Guide to the Music, the Myths and the Madness. Hatchette UK. p. Chapter 3. ISBN 978-0748114863. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  6. ^ Maxwell, William Bruce (1954). Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Western Coal Region, Kentucky. Volume 339 of Geological Survey circular. p. 29. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  7. ^ Information Circular, Volumes 204-209, Canada Mines Branch. Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery. 1968. p. 50. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  8. ^ a b Coal Mine Modernization: Year book. American Mining Congress. 1953. pp. 27–33. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Slate Fall Fatal". The Courier-Journal. 28 December 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  10. ^ Annual Report of the Department of Mines and Minerals. Kentucky. Department of Mines and Minerals. 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  11. ^ Natcher, William H. (1 June 1960). Coalfield's output hits record 29,401,573. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the US Congress. pp. A4651–A4652. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  12. ^ "COAL MINERS STRIKE OVER NEW CONTRACT". Adirondack daily enterprise. 11 April 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Soft-Coal Mines Closed By Strike" (PDF). Manchester Evening Herald. 11 April 1966. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 8 November 2020. Nb. - the piece say Madisonville W. Va but this is clearly incorrect as there is no Oriole mine there
  14. ^ "Coal Strike In Hopkins Continues". The Paducah Sun. 2 August 1966. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Peabody Coal Strike Settlement Expected". The Ohio County. 4 August 1966. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  16. ^ Annual Report of the Department of Mines and Minerals, Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky. Dept. of Mines and Minerals. 1967. p. 111. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  17. ^ "ORIOLE MINE". Ky.gov An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Retrieved 8 November 2020.