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Oriole Mine

Coordinates: 37°17′52″N 87°34′13″W / 37.29778°N 87.57028°W / 37.29778; -87.57028
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Oriole Mine
Place
Oriole Mine is located in Kentucky
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine is located in the United States
Oriole Mine
Oriole Mine
Coordinates: 37°17′52″N 87°34′13″W / 37.29778°N 87.57028°W / 37.29778; -87.57028
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountyHopkins
Elevation
397 ft (121 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CST)
GNIS feature ID508756[1]

Oriole is a place located in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States. The origin of the name Oriole is unknown, and the place never had a post-office. Oriole is located four miles south-west of Madisonville, on Clear Creek.[2]

Oriole might be mentioned in the Mott the Hoople song "All the Way from Memphis" written by Ian Hunter,[3] as a result of guitarist Mick Ralphs' guitar being sent there by accident.[4][5]

Oriole mine

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Oriole was home to the Oriole mine owned by the Bell and Zoller Coal and Mining Company.[6] The roof of the mine was very weak shale.[7] Roof bolting to secure the slate roof of the mine began in 1950.[8] In 1952 a man was killed at the mine in a slate-fall.[9] In 1954 a loader-operator was badly burned in a methane explosion at the mine.[10] The output of the mine in 1959 was 747,313 tons of coal, making it one of the top ten coal-producing mines in Hopkins county.[11] In April 1966 the mine was the site of an unsanctioned walk-out by workers striking in protest at the failure of the mine-owners to negotiate a new contract.[12][13] In early August 1966 another strike began at the mine over seniority rights.[14] Talks were held in Madisonville to resolve the strike.[15] In 1967 the mine was the site of a major fire that began when a cable short-circuited in a bore-hole.[16]

The mine was active through the 1950s[8] and 1960s but closed in the early 1970s. In 2012 the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands began planning the redevelopment of the former site of the mine.[17]

References

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  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Oriole Mine
  2. ^ "Oriole, Kentucky". Kyatlas.com. Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (21 December 2013). "Top 10 Road Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ^ Suwak, Jeff (16 June 2020). "Oriole, Kentucky All The Way From Memphis by Mott the Hoople". Songfacts. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ Harris, John (7 Jan 2010). Hail! Hail! Rock'n'roll: The Ultimate Guide to the Music, the Myths and the Madness. Hatchette UK. p. Chapter 3. ISBN 978-0748114863. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  6. ^ Maxwell, William Bruce (1954). Public and Industrial Water Supplies of the Western Coal Region, Kentucky. Volume 339 of Geological Survey circular. p. 29. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  7. ^ Information Circular, Volumes 204-209, Canada Mines Branch. Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery. 1968. p. 50. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  8. ^ a b Coal Mine Modernization: Year book. American Mining Congress. 1953. pp. 27–33. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Slate Fall Fatal". The Courier-Journal. 28 December 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  10. ^ Annual Report of the Department of Mines and Minerals. Kentucky. Department of Mines and Minerals. 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  11. ^ Natcher, William H. (1 June 1960). Coalfield's output hits record 29,401,573. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the US Congress. pp. A4651–A4652. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  12. ^ "COAL MINERS STRIKE OVER NEW CONTRACT". Adirondack daily enterprise. 11 April 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Soft-Coal Mines Closed By Strike" (PDF). Manchester Evening Herald. 11 April 1966. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 8 November 2020. Nb. - the piece say Madisonville W. Va but this is clearly incorrect as there is no Oriole mine there
  14. ^ "Coal Strike In Hopkins Continues". The Paducah Sun. 2 August 1966. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Peabody Coal Strike Settlement Expected". The Ohio County. 4 August 1966. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  16. ^ Annual Report of the Department of Mines and Minerals, Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky. Dept. of Mines and Minerals. 1967. p. 111. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  17. ^ "ORIOLE MINE". Ky.gov An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Retrieved 8 November 2020.