BLUE HERON MINING COMMUNITY

Blue Heron, or Mine 18, is an abandoned mining town owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company. It was in operation from 1937 to 1962. Throughout this period, hundreds of people lived and worked there. When the company abandoned Blue Heron in 1962, the buildings that were not destroyed fell into disrepair. When the community was "recreated" in the 1980s, it was built as an open-air museum. The new buildings, called "Ghost structures", were constructed in the approximate locations of the original buildings. Each building contains an audio program through which people who actually lived and worked at Blue Heron can share with visitors their memories and feelings about life in the community. The depot is the best place to start your tour of the site's 16 buildings.