[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   FLUORSPAR MINER'S MEMORIAL REVEAL

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2017

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the Fluorspar 
Miner's Memorial of Hardin County in my home state of Illinois.
  In 1971 a tragic accident occurred at the Barnett mining facility 
ending the lives of seven miners: Gale Bates, Randal ``Jock'' Belford, 
Orval Holbrook, Jerry Jenkins, James R. Lane, William ``Bill'' and 
Wayne Long. These men gave their lives to a lifestyle that has impacted 
so many families in the region.
  The Ohio River Scenic Byway, the City of Rosiclare, and many local 
partners decided to dedicate a memorial to these fallen miners as well 
as all Fluorspar miners and their families. The memorial displays a 
life size bronze statue of a Fluorspar miner and his wife--a black 
granite memorial honoring the seven fallen miners, interpretive panels 
to tell the story of Fluorspar mining in the area, landscaping and a 
separate memorial garden wall commemorating area families and 
businesses.
  The memorial will provide travelers and younger generations with 
information on this tragic accident and the importance of the fluorspar 
industry and its importance to Southern Illinois and the nation. The 
Miner's Memorial celebrates the strong past of the City of Rosiclare 
due to the mining of fluorspar.
  I ask that we all join in that celebration as we pay tribute to the 
history and the people who made the Fluorspar Miner's Memorial, and I 
salute the completion of the Fluorspar Miner's Memorial.

                          ____________________