Mining Tours and Museums

 

There are opportunities all over the country to visit mines and mining museums and learn more about U.S. mining. The following lists information on mining tours and museums in the United States and Canada.

 

The Western Museum of Mining & Industry offers high school students an educational and entertaining experience through guided-tours or a self-directed experience. A trip to the museum not only introduces students to a lifelong learning resource in their community but also reinforces curriculum that you present in the classroom in an informal and engaging setting. The museum tour, which meets Colorado Model Content Standards, is customizable to your students' educational needs and flexible to adjust to your time commitments and scheduling.

 

Our standard tour consists of three components. The tour includes various mining exhibits where students learn about mining techniques such as gold panning, the process of hard rock mining, and discover the history of mining and the western United States. The next portion of the tour involves the Industrial Revolution. Museum interpreters discuss the history and impact of the First and Second Industrial Revolution, steam engines, and operate machines such as the 35-ton Corliss Steam Engine. A movie concludes the tour, as students will learn about western and mining history and the impact of mining on our daily lives.

 

 

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum’s mission is to “tell the story about mining, its people, and its importance to the American public.”

 

A federally chartered non-profit, located in the famous 1880's silver boomtown of Leadville, Colorado at the top of the Rocky Mountains. The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum is a monument to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the discovery, development and processing of our nation's natural resources. Known as the "Smithsonian of the Rockies" and the "Premier Showcase of American Mining," the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum came to be in 1987. Our building was built in 1899 and was formerly the Leadville High School. Our museum houses 25,000 square feet of interactive and informative exhibits showcasing our collection of mining's colorful history.