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Originally Posted by RUOK
I was thinking it was tin, but I'm not positive about that.
Great pics, and history, another part of the world I'd really like to see. Amazing how they lived and mined back then, a lot of mining innovation came from Cornwall. Thanks for posting your ride.
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I was prompted to look up the history of Cornish mining today because of this great RR. The Cornishmen mined tin, lead, arsenic (those guys didn't live long), some precious metals, and now are mining for clay used in making ceramics. It's inspiring and sad at the same time, as the pits in England are becoming a footnote. The history of mining in Cornwall is almost as old as the history of Britain. The developments in mine technology fueled much of Britian's supremacy throughout the industrial age.
I was in upper Minnesota some years ago. One could buy a pasty almost anywhere there. When the mines played out in the UK, the hard-rock Cornishmen moved on to the Iron Range or just about anywhere their skills were needed. They were a brave and hardy breed of men. Now that the iron mines in Minnesota are finished, I suppose we should all buy IPhones and forget the struggle our ancestors endured.
I hope not to.
Thanks again.