These shin guards are made out of foam covered by metal. They were used to protect miner's shins as they worked in the mines.

Internet Resources: Here are some links which will get you started in your quest for knowledge. The Internet is growing at an astounding rate. This list does not include every Website on coal mining, only the best of the sites that we visited! The Life and Work of Coal Miners Website at: http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/ projects/Lessons_US/Gilded_Age/ The National Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Homepage at: http://Web.InfoAve.Net/ ~ncamr/index.htm Kentucky Educational Television Electronic Field Trip (Coal) Web page at: http://www.ket.org/ Trips/Coal/CoalSites.html Coal Information Network Homepage at: http://www.coalinfo.com/

Museum Loan Kits: There are kits available for the topic of coal mining. Audio-visual Program - Surface Mining in Southern Illinois Audio-visual Program - Geology of Southern Illinois Kits can be checked out by Illinois School Teachers free of charge. For a complete list of kit topics please visit: educational loan kits For more information please contact Bob DeHoet at (618) 453-5388 or email him at: drhoet@siu.edu

Printed Resources: The Museum Explorers Library contains books on coal mining. Please visit the bibliography by following this link: http://www.museum.siu.edu/university_museum/ museum_classroom_grant/ Museum_Explorers/bookbibsci.html Books in this special library can be checked out by Museum Explorer teachers free of charge. Please see our Museum Explorers Library Web page. The following is a list of printed materials about coal mining which may be available through your library: No materials available at this time. Please check back.

Previous Explorer Projects: This is a list of Museum Explorer Projects completed by teachers and students in the last three years. Underground Coal Mining Homepage at: http://www.bellevalley.stclair.k12.il.us/ mic/ To view other school pages please visit our Museum Explorers School Pages.

The lamp on the front of this miner's hat is an ordinary carbide lamp with reflector, flint and holder. There is a tank at the top for water and one at the bottom to hold carbide.