Historic Treasure of the Week - June 20, 1982
By Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - June 20, 1982
By Dorothy W. Jerse
Curator, Vigo County Historical Society
This statue of a miner presides over the mining portion of the "History of Vigo County" displays at the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 South Sixth Street. It is considerably reduced in size from the original which stands on the west side of the State House in Indianapolis.
The late Juliet Peddle reported: "In March 1965, an appropriation was approved by the state legislature to provide and erect a statue commemorating the coal miners who lost their lives in Indiana coal mines.' A newspaper clipping from the Indianapolis News of February 28, 1967, pictures the statue on the lawn of the State House, with workmen engaged in the final details of its setting.
"The statue was created by John Szaton and appears to have been cast in bronze ... We do not have the data on how the museum statue came to be made, but it may have been an early study. The only significant difference between it and the one in Indianapolis is that the miner is carrying a different tool."
This treasure was owned by Louis Austin, United Mine Workers executive. Following his death, it was given by his sons to Dorothy J. Clark who in turn presented it to the society.
John Laska, artist and sculptor, contributed his time and talent to make repairs necessary before the statue could be displayed. It emphasizes the importance of mining in the development of Vigo County.