I've wanted to go to Bingham Copper Mine for years and have never been. One of the reasons I never went is because I've always wanted to go with my grandpa, who worked there during his college years. I wanted to get an insider's perspective, even if it has been 50 years! And we finally went! My grandpa took me, my sister, and the kids for a little field trip last week. It is a pretty amazing sight. They have a nice visitor's center where you can see the progression of the mine since 1900. As they continue to dig deeper, they also have to dig out so the hole doesn't collapse on itself. Hence, the largest man-made pit on earth!
Just as I knew it would be, it was very cool to get my grandpa's perspective. The job he worked is now obsolete as machinery and technology has improved, but there are still a lot of things that haven't changed in the mining process. It is quite the operation.
And here's the famous giant tire. These tires go on the trucks that haul the dirt from the mine to the seven-mile-long conveyor belt. They are over 12 1/2 feet tall, cost $25,000, and last for only a year. And there's six tires per truck. It's a good thing they're mining gold and silver along with copper in that mine!
It was a very windy day...as you can see from the first picture. But we had a great time! Thanks grandpa!!
Just as I knew it would be, it was very cool to get my grandpa's perspective. The job he worked is now obsolete as machinery and technology has improved, but there are still a lot of things that haven't changed in the mining process. It is quite the operation.
And here's the famous giant tire. These tires go on the trucks that haul the dirt from the mine to the seven-mile-long conveyor belt. They are over 12 1/2 feet tall, cost $25,000, and last for only a year. And there's six tires per truck. It's a good thing they're mining gold and silver along with copper in that mine!
It was a very windy day...as you can see from the first picture. But we had a great time! Thanks grandpa!!
2 comments:
It really is an impressive sight. We took the kids there for Dragonfly's birthday that one summer we were there. It was really cool (well, it was hot at the mine and cool inside).
How fun! What a neat thing to go there with your grandpa.
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