Oklahoma Journeys

Week of December 30, 2007

Krebs Mine Explosion, January 7, 1892

Oklahoma has always benefited from and depended upon its underground wealth of mineral resources. Known mainly as an oil state, Oklahoma has also held for decades a large number of underground mining operations. Oklahoma’s 19th century mining operations were some of the most dangerous in the world, and disaster strikes this week on Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma Historical Society.

From the Oklahoma Historical Society, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.

Mining was one of the primary industries for Oklahoma Territory. Both the northeast and the southeast corners of the territories held coal, zinc and other valuable raw materials. More than one Oklahoman made their fortune, legally or otherwise, off the enormous resources found underground in Indian Territory. The lure of these minerals and of many jobs attached to them attracted many outsiders to the territory mines including many immigrant laborers. By the late 1880s southeast Oklahoma was home to many thousands of miners of Italian and Russian descent. The Italian and Russian heritage of these immigrants and their ancestors can be seen today in the culture and history of towns such as Krebs and Hartshorne. Other towns in the area with names like Coalgate leave little doubt as to the reasons for their existence. Because they were located within Indian Territory, mine owners and operators were exempt from federal regulation and guidelines. Owners intent on extracting as much money as possible from the mines and their workers often ignored safety concerns, constantly placing workers in life threatening situations. The turn-of-the-century operations in southeast Oklahoma were at that time considered by many as some of the most dangerous mines in the United States if not the entire world. It was in this week of 1892 that such dangerous working conditions led to the worst mining disaster in Oklahoma’s known history. In the early evening hours of January 7, 1892, an explosion ripped through the Osage Coal and Mining Company’s Mine Number 11 near Krebs instantly killing 87 people and injuring 150 more.

The scene at the mine was horrific with many helpless miners burned or buried alive and not much that bystanders could do to help. Ultimately an inexperienced worker was blamed for the explosion. Hired because he was cheaper than experienced miners, the new worker was given the job of handling explosives and of course the inevitable occurred. A silver lining of sorts emerged from the disaster in the form of tighter safety controls on Indian Territory mines, too late however, to help the dozens of miners who lost their lives in the explosion of January 7, 1892. Collections, archives and newspapers held at the Oklahoma Historical Society can help you trace the history of Oklahoma’s mining and industrial development, and a permanent exhibit on our natural resources is located in one of the galleries at the Oklahoma History Center on NE 23rd and Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma Historical Society dedicated to the collection, preservation and sharing of our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.