The 1926 Barnes-Hecker mining disaster that occurred in western Marquette County is the topic of the next “Evening at the Archives,” a public event hosted by The Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives. Jim Paquette, NMU alumnus and retired Cleveland Cliffs Iron Mining Company safety manager, will give the presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3—also known as Barnes-Hecker Remembrance Day—in room 126 of Harden Hall on campus.
Paquette made extensive use of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Mining Company records maintained by the Central Upper Peninsula and NMU archives. As a tribute to the families of those who lost their lives in the mine, Paquette will explain the “why” of the disaster, and share the unknown truth of how the worst hard-rock mining disaster in Michigan took the lives of 51 people.
Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.