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Mining Tourism

125 years after gold was discovered in the Yukon, we ventured up to Dawson City. Here’s what it looks like now – by Brendan Kiley (Seattle Times – September 10, 2021)

https://www.seattletimes.com/

DAWSON CITY, the Yukon Territory — The first tourists to Dawson City arrived in July of 1898, a few weeks before the boomtown’s second birthday.

Mrs. Mary E. Hitchcock (widow of a U.S. Navy officer) and Miss Edith Van Buren (niece of the former U.S. president) swept into the new gold-mining settlement, 170 miles south of the Arctic Circle, with opulent cargo: a zither, a parrot, canaries, a portable bowling alley, crates of fancy foods (pâté, truffles, olives), a movie projector, an exhaustive wardrobe (silks, furs, starched collars, sombreros), two Great Danes and a 2,800 square-foot marquee tent for their lodgings.

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MINING TOURISM: From Magical Towns to colorful cities, discoveries await you in Guanajuato – by Lydia Carey (Mexico News Daily – August 9, 2021)

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/

With 32 states and 5,800 miles of gorgeous coastline, urbanscapes and quaint colonial towns — in regions that each have their own special cuisine, distinct accents and beautiful biodiversity — Mexico has so many destinations worth visiting, it can be hard to know where to start.

I’ve gotten to know Guanajuato well during my 13 years in the country, and it still has nooks and crannies I have yet to explore. Tourists who head right to the state’s most famous attraction — the city of San Miguel de Allende — miss out on the plethora of places and activities the state has to offer.

By far, one of the state’s biggest and best destinations is Guanajuato city. As you approach, the multicolored facades of the houses creeping up the mountains glitter in the sunshine.

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Mining tourism still untapped potential in Iran (Tehran Times – June 25, 2021)

https://www.tehrantimes.com/

TEHRAN – Mining tourism as a relatively untapped potential could lead to economic prosperity and fuel boom in the Iran tourism scene by the means of creating new destinations and sustainable jobs for the locals.

Experts say mining tourism is a new category in the tourism industry, which involves tours of both abandoned and active mines.

Last year, Iran started to promote mining tourism by launching the first project in the Anguran lead and zinc mine, located 130 kilometers west of the northwestern city of Zanjan.

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Visit To Virginia City Worth Its Weight In Silver (Escalon Times – August 25, 2020)

https://www.escalontimes.com/

There was a time I would go to Virginia City eight times or so a year. It was back when my idea of fun was driving to the base of Geiger Grade off Highway 395, hopping on a racing bicycle, heading up to Virginia City, dropping down to Carson City, climbing up Spooner Grade, pedaling by Lake Tahoe, struggling up Mt. Rose and then pushing it to the limits downhill often topping 55 mph.

It was 88 miles of pure bicycling bliss involving 8,200 feet of climbing that allowed me to make two trips to the Sizzler’s salad bar for heaping full plates plus dessert in south Reno afterwards.

One time after doing the loop the guys I was with decided it might be nice to see what was in Virginia City instead of pedaling through it at 18 mph without stopping. That is when I fell in love with the place as well as the history of the Comstock.

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Go underground with these 7 exciting Canadian mine tours – by Mark Stachiew (Canada.com – January 17, 2020)

https://o.canada.com/

Canada’s economy has long been reliant on its wealth of natural resources. While the country is today home to a growing number of high-tech and modern industries, natural resources like lumber, oil and gold remain a mainstay and the harvesting of those resources remains woven into the fabric of the nation..

Visitors can bear witness to that history and the human stories behind it by touring one of the country’s many mines that have been transformed into destinations that not only tell the stories of the places and the people who worked there, but also teach visitors about the minerals and ores that were extracted there and their importance both locally and nationally. Here are seven examples for you to check out, several of which are Canadian Signature Experiences.

Bell Island #2 Mine and Community Museum 13 Compressor Hill (Bell Island, Newfoundland

Newfoundland’s Bell Island mine was an underground iron ore mine that was vital to the island’s economy and provided crucial material for the Allied war effort during both World Wars.

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Coal mines turned into culture mines is new business in Poland – by Louise Miner and Chris Burns (Euro News – October 7, 2019)

https://www.euronews.com/

Katowice is a city that built itself on coal, turning the 18th-century village into an industrial powerhouse. Now it´s in the middle of another transformation: developing a cleaner, greener, more sustainable way of living and working. In this edition of Spotlight, we look at how this Polish city has turned coal mines into culture mines and new places to do business.

Silesian Museum – art and history

The centrepiece of this urban make-over is the Silesian Museum, built in a coal mine. Along with underground performances and a meeting space, the main hall is two football fields long, 14 metres deep. There are exhibitions about the region’s history, and on Polish art, including works by coal miners such as Jan Nowak.

Nowak said, “It’s amazing. I used to work here, with a shovel, with a hammer, and so on. And now my works are here in this museum, in this mine (Kopalny).”

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Travel Ontario and Quebec one mining destination at a time – by Greg Klein (Resource Clips – July 2019)

http://resourceclips.com/

Small local museums, historic mines, a major science centre and massive operations demonstrate the industry’s importance and also offer diversions for summer road trips. After covering Yukon and British Columbia in Part 1 and the prairie provinces in Part 2, our survey continues east through Ontario and Quebec.

Omitted were museums not primarily devoted to mining, although many do include worthwhile mining memorabilia among other exhibits. Be sure to contact sites to confirm opening times, ask about footwear and other clothing requirements, and inquire about age restrictions if you have little ones in tow. Part 4 covers the Atlantic provinces.

Ontario

Where better than Sudbury for a mining showcase of global stature? Dynamic Earth visitors can don hard hats to tour a demonstration mine seven storeys below surface, or virtual reality headsets to mingle with imaginary miners and gargantuan equipment.

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Cripple Creek donkeys released into the city for the summer – by Zachary Aedo (KRDO.com – May 15, 2019)

https://www.krdo.com/

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. – Cripple Creek is one of two cities in the United States where you could run into a wild donkey herd on the streets.

The Two Mile High Club nonprofit released its donkey herd into the streets for the summer. The local group spends each winter keeping the donkeys safe and healthy at a nearby ranch. But every summer, the donkeys are released to run wild for the public to see.

Clinton Cline, the president of Two Mile High Club, said the creatures remind people of the city’s mining history. “The donkeys pretty much built Cripple Creek originally,” Cline said. During the gold rush of the late 1800s, miners used donkeys to pull ore carts and transport materials to local mining camps.

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On the gemstone trail: A tour of Antwerp’s diamond district – by John Malathronas (CNN Travel – June 12, 2018)

https://www.cnn.com/

(CNN) — With its flat-fronted 1960s buildings and plain color scheme, Hoveniersstraat might be dismissed as one of the most drab streets in the pretty baroque Belgian city of Antwerp. In fact, it’s one of the most fascinating, and there are several high security clues that give the game away.

The street is protected by a police station, dozens of CCTV cameras and several armed soldiers. The reason: Hoveniersstraat is the center of Antwerp’s — and the world’s — diamond industry.

About 84% of all rough diamonds and 50% of all cut diamonds on the planet are traded in this destination today. Located less than an hour from Brussels by train, the Belgian city, has been a major diamond center since medieval times.

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Exploring the world of metals on your travel – by Cindy Belt (Multi Briefs.com – April 08, 2019)

http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/

I will admit that my previous career in the metals industry makes seeking out metallurgical locations natural. But these locations can be interesting to anyone.

Metalworking is how we define some human time periods, such as the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Metals are used everywhere and built our culture. Interesting metal spots vary from mining to mills. These metals can include iron, copper, gold, and silver along with other, rarer metals.

Panning

Sure, you can pay to pan for gold in a tourist spot where sand is seeded with interesting stones and occasional bits of gold or silver, but panning in a river can be fun even if you don’t become rich.

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Museum exhibit explores Alaska’s gold industry – by Theresa Bakker (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – November 4, 2018)

http://www.newsminer.com/

FAIRBANKS – Some of the first settlers to make their way to Fairbanks came for the promise that there was gold in the hills of the Tanana Valley. More than 100 years later, the industry is a vital economic resource and plenty of tourists still come to Alaska to discover its gold rush history.

That’s why the University of Alaska Museum of the North is exploring gold this month. Museum Educator Emily Koehler-Platten said visitors should know that gold is more than just a shiny metal. Not only has its beauty and rarity made it important to people, but it has also affected our history and culture.

“I hope museum visitors gain a deeper understanding of gold,” she said. “It is a cultural force that has deeply affected life in Alaska, and continues to impact us today. The modern history of Alaska would have been different if gold fever had not caused thousands of people to come north.”

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Explore the great Wieliczka salt mine in Poland – by Mpho Rantao (Independent Online – November 3, 2018)

https://www.iol.co.za/

There are mines for various metals and minerals that are located around the world (or rather around the African continent), but there is the occasional mine that offers something different to society – like a salt mine.

If you travel to the town of Wieliczka, located just outside of Krakow, you will find one of the town’s greatest treasure – the salt mine. Considered one of the biggest salt mines in the world, the Wieliczka salt mine was in operation from the 13th century, producing table salt and only stopped its main functioning in 2007.

The attractions of the mine include dozens of statues and four chapels carved out of the rock salt by the miners, as well as supplemental carvings made by contemporary artists.

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New Soudan mine tours go deep – into geology, that is – by Pam Louwagie (Minneapolis Star Tribune – September 15, 2018)

http://www.startribune.com/

Geology groupies: Take note. For a limited time, the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park is offering a new, more scientific walking tour geared toward explaining details about how geologists figured out where and how to extract iron ore from the area.

Guides at the park in northeastern Minnesota bring visitors a half-mile underground in an elevator-like cage. While typical tours then transfer visitors to a train for a ¾-mile ride to a large underground “room” where ore has been extracted, the new tours involve walking there.

“It gives us an opportunity to stop at locations that people on the train are never going to see,” said Park Manager Jim Essig. The new tours emphasize how mines were mapped, he said.

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On the gemstone trail: A tour of Antwerp’s diamond district – by John Malathronas (CNN – June 12, 2018)

https://www.cnn.com/

(CNN) — With its flat-fronted 1960s buildings and plain color scheme, Hoveniersstraat might be dismissed as one of the most drab streets in the pretty baroque Belgian city of Antwerp.

In fact, it’s one of the most fascinating, and there are several high security clues that give the game away. The street is protected by a police station, dozens of CCTV cameras and several armed soldiers. The reason: Hoveniersstraat is the center of Antwerp’s — and the world’s — diamond industry.

About 84% of all rough diamonds and 50% of all cut diamonds on the planet are traded in this destination today. Located less than an hour from Brussels by train, the Belgian city, has been a major diamond center since medieval times.

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Cape Breton Miners’ Museum to install simulator to recreate mining experience (CBC News Nova Scotia – March 14, 2018)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Museum will receive $1.5M from federal government for upgrades

The Cape Breton Miners’ Museum has received just over $1.5 million for upgrades to recreate the mining experience. “This is like a dream come true,” said museum executive director Mary Pat Mombourquette.

“This is going to help us create a vital, dynamic museum that will immerse our visitors in the coal-mining experience. I can’t wait to start making it happen.”

The money from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Heritage Canada will pay for the construction of a briefing room and a lamp house, recreating a miner’s daily trip to and from the mine. The museum in Glace Bay, N.S., already famously features a guided tour of an actual underground coal mine.

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