Local students use tour to understand Valley history
Photos by CHANSE WATSON Sierra Silver Mine tour guide Lenny explains the many drills utilized underground to a few of Pinehurst Elementary School’s fifth-graders.
Members of Deanna Nearing’s fifth-grade class pose for a quick picture before beginning their tour of the Sierra Silver Mine up Nine Mile Canyon in Wallace.
Earlier this week the fifth-grade classes from Pinehurst Elementary School enjoyed a field trip on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour in Wallace.
For many of the kids it was a look into what many of their family members do for a living and for others, it was an eye opening experience as to where the materials come from that help create some of their favorite things.
Museum and tour operator Sue Halley discussed why the museum has stood the test of time and why it is a useful tool for students in Shoshone County.
Halley took over the tour 16 years ago, and really enjoys the interaction with the students she’s met over the years.
“It started as part of the Vo-Tech class for Wallace High School when they had their mining class,” Halley said. “It’s still the local industry and a lot of the kids don’t have a concept about what these miners do for a job and this really puts it in perspective. When they come back from the tour, they are very impressed and wowed by what they saw.”
For the kids going on the tour, it was part of their local history unit, but also tied in with science as well.
“Prior to going on the tour, we talked about our local history,” PES teacher Deanna Nearing said. “In science, we had a unit on natural resources and how long it takes to renew them. We had a birdseed mining activity and a cookie mining activity which allowed us to discuss the value of different natural resources.”
Nearing reiterated why understanding the local industry is important for the kids and echoed a lot of what Halley had previously stated.
“It is important for these students to know and understand our local history,” Nearing said. “They need to know that almost everything that they have today has something to do with mining. Our valley and its people help to supply some of the natural resources. We actually have quite a few students that have parents that are miners. They were excited to see and understand some of the tools used and how things are done.”
No surprise that the students really enjoyed their brief time underground.
“The students really enjoyed the tour,” Nearing said. “The majority of the students said the mine was their favorite part, but several also like the museum.”