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The Smith Mine Disaster of February 27, 1943 in Washoe, Carbon County, Montana can confidently be called the most traumatic event to have ever occurred within Carbon and the surrounding counties in south-central Montana. This tragedy resulted in the deaths of 75 miners.
The 3 volumes which make us this work are currently sold exclusively through the Carbon County Historical Society in Red Lodge, Montana. If you would like to get a quick idea of the content of each, please see the following links:
Volume I - Sons of America, Brothers Underground
Sons of America is a tribute to the many victims of Montana's notorious Smith Mine No.3, this installment of the Smith Mine Disaster Chronicles individually showcases all known information on each of the 75 victims and 3 survivors of the 1943 Disaster, as well as the 4 men known to have lost their lives prior to the 1943 Disaster.
This volume includes pictures of many of the victims, their wives and children as well as an in depth analysis of these men from a cultural heritage point of view and the impact their loss had on the surrounding communities.
Volume II - Long March Toward Tragedy
A series of timelines surrounding the 1943 disaster is presented in this installment of the Smith Mine Disaster Chronicles, through its heyday & decline, to the eventual disaster and aftermath are included in this volume.
In addition, a series of color maps of the mine are presented plus the rescue and recovery operations in both the No. 2 and No. 3 seams.
Volume III - Quiet Courage
The third and newest volume of the Smith Mine Disaster presents a collection of local newspaper articles about the time of the disaster in 1943 to 2007
Among its 300 pages, the reader will find firsthand and eyewitness accounts of the disaster, victim obits and post-disaster histories.
For the research and family history minded, an eighteen page index includes every individual listed in the articles. The maiden name's of married women are footnoted and cross-indexed as well.
About the Author
Jeff Edward McNeish was born, raised & educated in Billings, MT. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Rocky Mountain College and works as a Software Development Manager. His hobbies include history or genealogy: both of which he shares with his father Jack McNeish, a Red Lodge native.
Jeff spent much of his childhood in Carbon County enjoying the outdoors as well as visiting with relatives whose families have resided in Carbon County for 100 years. The predominant occupation among these relatives was coal mining. Jeff is related to 11 members of the "The Underground Day Shift" on Feb 27, 1943. He has also lost 2 more relatives to the Smith Mine in the 1930's.
In 2008, The Billings Gazette wrote a series of articles on the Smith Mine Disaster on its 65th Anniversary. These can be found at:
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