PROSPECTING FOR KNOWLEDGE: A MINING MUSEUM AS A PLATFORM FOR TEACHING GEOLOGY, MINING, ARCHAEOLOGY, AND HISTORY

The World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana, is one of only a few museums on a formerly active mine site. The 22-acre museum contains 50 historic or reconstructed buildings with thousands of period artifacts and a 100-foot-tall mine headframe. Dozens of pieces of mining equipment, ranging from 1890s drills to a 70-ton truck from 1970, afford visitors a unique learning experience. In addition more than 7000 historic photographs are held in the collections.

The museum is a springboard for earth science education in both traditional and high-tech ways. School tours receive an introductory lecture about mining history and geology, then explore the grounds with retired miners who give students a feel for the reality of underground mining. School groups also take advantage of our educational scavenger hunts, which direct them through the exhibits and focus their learning. A Junior Miner program for all young visitors is modeled on the Junior Ranger program in National Parks, and includes mineral identification and gold panning. Our community outreach effort includes guided trail walks through a historic mining area adjacent to the museum, as well as lectures on geology and mineral commodities. We also provide a speaker’s bureau for local hotels, retirement homes, businesses and other interested groups. For tourists, day-long guided field trips to three areas of southwest Montana provide in-depth looks at mining history and geology. In 2003, we broadened the outlook on geology and mineral production for some 450 visitors through daily presentations at the museum.

Our web site is an interactive educational resource. Built-in quizzes provide information, and as an incentive, one quiz allows winners to receive free tickets to the museum. Research services offered through the web site bring inquiries ranging from “Tell me about my great-grandfather” to “How is lanthanum mined, processed, and used.” We have stand-alone PowerPoint presentations for schools, as well as lesson plans to accompany mining videos. A resource exploration and production game we devised is an entertaining way to involve students in the world of mining and mineral production, with geologic education along the way. A Teachers’ Professional Development Day gives educators an opportunity for learning, face-to-face interaction, and curriculum expansion.