Estevan received its significant historical monument back on April 22. A group of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Local 7606 members gathered by the courthouse in the morning to ensure that the renovated coal car was installed without an issue.
Skylift Services donated their efforts and helped to move the Coal Miners鈥� Corner from the trailer to its spot at the corner of Fourth Street and Souris Avenue 麻豆视频.
For decades this piece of the Estevan labour movement history has been serving as a tribute to the three people killed and the many injured in the Estevan Riot of 1931. But tricky Estevan weather and time gave it no quarter. And last October a group of UMWA Local 7606 members decided that it was the time to step forward and save the monument.
The renovations took about six months and saw the car completely redone. Dave Dukart, who took a lead on the project, said that by the time they removed the car from its location last fall it was in really poor shape and completing the project felt good.聽
鈥淚t was well needed. It was very deteriorated. It sat here since 1981, that鈥檚 when they put it here,鈥� said Dukart.
The car was ripped right down to the original. The metal was flaking, so it had to be sandblasted first.聽
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 take too much off because we wanted to keep it as authentic as possible,鈥� said Dukart.聽
Finding close to the original boards turned out to be quite difficult. Throughout the years the dimensions have changed and contemporary two by fours didn鈥檛 fit the original construction.聽
The work on the car was accomplished by Doug Dawson, who is a retired International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) member and a former SaskPower employee.聽
鈥淗e is pretty handy with the hammer as you can see. He kept it up for us quite well,鈥� said Dukart.聽
The local company restored the plate, located on the side of the car and telling the story of the riot and the monument.聽
鈥淭he sign had a lot of meaning to it. It was worded back in 1981 and we wanted to keep that wording,鈥� said Dukart.聽
Now that the car is shiny and fixed, Dukart said that they are not going to let it get back to the condition that it was in last year.聽
鈥淲e are going to make a commitment that we are going to look after it from now on,鈥� said Dukart. 鈥淚t was something that was kind of forgotten about and hopefully it won鈥檛 be anymore.鈥�
He was also grateful to the public for allowing them time to complete all the work needed.聽
鈥淛ust a special thanks to the public for being patient with us. We had a few calls wondering about the car, and when is it coming back, and what鈥檚 going on with it. You don鈥檛 realize how many people miss it once it鈥檚 gone. It鈥檚 a major piece of history for the union,鈥� said Dukart.聽
鈥淎nd a special thanks to people who got involved and helped us out in getting it back to where it is.鈥澛�
UMWA was hoping to have a small ceremony in conjunction with the national Day of Mourning on April 28, however, due to the current situation the traditional activities 鈥� recognizing people who were killed at work or due to work in the previous year 鈥� were switched to virtual and the ceremony for the coal car is not on agenda for now.聽
Despite the changes in plans, it was important to put the Coal Miners鈥� Car back where it belongs as soon as it was ready.聽
Back in 1981, the coal car was installed at the corner in partnership with the Estevan Labour Congress to keep the memory of people killed and injured at that same place during the Estevan Riot.聽
鈥淚n 1931 three people lost their lives trying to organize better working conditions for the future,鈥� said Dukart.聽
While the car is looking good now and doesn't need more work, union members may focus their efforts at preserving the headstone and a gravesite where the three miners are buried at the Bienfait cemetery.聽
鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably going to be our next little project that we are going to try to take on, try to beautify it a bit,鈥� said Dukart.聽
The big cement monument is deteriorating and needs some work. And as long as the coal industry is active, even if at the lower scale, the miners will keep maintaining the historical pieces in the area.
