Why did they do that?

So, thanks to the great support of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, I spent the day wet, dank and underground. Tons of great footage of places where 'Matewan' shot underground.

After getting there early and shooting on a guided (walking) tour of the mine, I rode along with one of the tours. It's real easy to remember why I'm doing this project during such occasions.

The tour guide showed us all of the traditional elements used by miners for lighting in the mine and gathering the coal. He explained that while miners were making $2 a day mining, over $.14 a day farming, they had to pay the company for all their tools - usually leaving them in the hole.

After this brief history of the plight of miners, the nice gentleman beside me, from out-of-state by his accent, asked, "If it was so hard, why would someone want to be a miner?"

Everyone lives in their own world with their own perconceived notions of what's expected and what's possible. It can be pretty amazing sometimes to realize that your world is not everyone else's world. Sometimes what's expected of you and what's possible for you is only true where you're standing.

Now, face north. Think about direction - and wonder why you haven't before.

j.brown