Outdoor explorers sometimes get to venture indoors when it comes to historic sites on the forest. That was the theme of the day at Charter Oak Mine, the “Outdoor Explorers Mentoring Program” October outing. OEMP is a program of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, aiming to get kids and their matches outside and investigating new locations and learning new skills.
Sometimes adults can struggle to connect kids to history, particularly to a lifestyle such as mining. Debbie, our tour guide, calls on kids to “raise your hand if you’re over twelve years old”. As hands go up, she tells them that 12 year olds were already working in the mines – tasked with carrying slop buckets and other such duties. She never fails to insert tidbits about the complete darkness when candles or carbide lamps go out, and the origins of the phrase “canary in the coal mine”. One form of “canaries” was actually the candles miners used, which went out when the oxygen started to fall below safe levels. Miners were given 3 four-hour candles that allowed them to time their shifts appropriately.
Charter Oak was not just a mine, it was an active mill with a chemist’s lab, several housing buildings, a loading dock and more. Most of these buildings still stand and were in operation into the 1980s. The equipment is still around, and the land is publicly owned – ready for anyone to explore. The buildings are locked but the Montana Discovery Foundation conducts tours several times each year.
Since our trip was planned for October, we were thrilled to share in candy and Halloween-themed snacks. Our fire was slow to start but enterprising kids were eager to gather dried grass and twigs to help it grow. The Outdoor Explorers have so many skills already!