Project Questions

1. What insights do the Colorado coal mine explosions of 1910 offer on the possibilities and problems fossil-fueled industrialization presented?
2. What similarities do these mine explosions share with present-day disasters of various sorts (natural, industrial, and so on)? In what ways do these documents help historians understand important differences between the United States in 1910 versus the present day?
3. Which aspects of mine disasters do the primary documents emphasize? What topics and viewpoints do they tend to overlook or suppress?
4. Central Question: What can three 1910 coal mine explosions in southern Colorado teach about how Americans grappled with the deadly consequences of an emerging industrial economy fueled by vast quantities of coal?