“Four sisters, one brother, me and my parents in a 47 Ford,” says Andy Barnett as people start to gather at Washington Park for Hiawatha Days a few weeks ago.
“Not as many as last year,” observed Eldon Miller, host and compiler of Hiawatha Memories.
“Made in Iowa, born in Utah,” jokes Andy.
Helen Garr grew up in Hiawatha, too, moving there at age 13.
“I’m the oldest. Next year I’ll be 87. Husband was a sailor in World War II, he came home to Hiawatha after the war.”
State Rep. John Garr did public relations for mining companies.
Deloy Anderson’s homemade root beer made the rounds at the reunion.
“My wife makes it, been doing it for years. I worked the Plateau mine 17 years in Wattis,” Anderson said.
“Moved to Hiawatha in 1942, with my mother and three sisters on the train from Albie, Iowa,” says his wife Betty.
“We met after a dance in Huntington was canceled,” confirms Deloy.
“Dad was a coal miner, lived in eight different coal camps growing up. Hiawatha was my favorite, that’s where I discovered girls,” said Eldon.
Lisa Segura Peirce signed people up for a raffle, she introduces her mother, Helen Segura.
“I was born and raised up there, lived there until the ninth grade; my parents were from Crete.”
She lived in Greek town as Hiawatha’s neighborhoods were initially divided among ethnic lines, with less politically correct names than today.
Greek Town included Greeks, Austrians and Serbs. Wop Town consisted of Italians and Austrians. Jap Town was Japanese and Chinese.
Railroad Town was mostly Hispanics working on the railroad.
There were other colorful names, Flat Tops, String Town Row and Tram Town were other areas.
Silk Stocking Row was where the bosses and high salaried people lived.
“There were different areas of town but everybody got along. Just a good community, good mix of people, lots of different nationalities,” said Andy Barnett.
Hiawatha was a company town, where The United States Fuel Company owned everything and paid the miners in script, redeemable at the company store. Eventually all the mining operations were consolidated and named King Mine, then King Coal.
The mines were unionized in the 1930’s.
“My mother worked in the company store, when the miners went on strike; they’d get a $1 paycheck charge on credit,” said Helen Segura. “It was union.”
Unlike other coal camps in the area, the company built lots of amenities for townspeople. The amusement hall was the centerpiece, housing a movie theatre, dance hall, pool hall and a large meeting room.
“We enjoyed the dances, movies and the recreation, on Sunday nights; you had to pay a dime,” said Helen Garr.
Vince Christiansen walks with a cane, he lost his left foot after it “got caught between two trollies,” riding into the mine.
“The company settled with me in ‘91.”
That’s the same year the mine closed. The town of Hiawatha was disincorporated a year later, 81 years after it was incorporated. The mine operated for 84 years, starting in 1907.
There’s talk of the mine reopening.
According to Andy Barnett, “Rhino mines still own property.”
If you drive out there today you’ll see a gate and no trespassing signs. You have to call in order to access the property.
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