Norrie Mine Collapse

The episode recounts the Norrie Mine disaster of May 13, 1912, when a cave-in two thousand feet underground trapped thirteen miners and initially led officials to fear that none had survived. After rescuers detected tapping from behind the collapsed rock, they worked with drills and dynamite to construct an escape tunnel. Six miners ultimately emerged through the fractured rock, although several suffered severe injuries. The account places the tragedy within the broader history of mining disasters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and reflects on the memorials that continue to honor the workers who lost their lives.

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Produced by Michigan History Magazine