Miners Union Hall

Miners Union Hall. . , Mining is and always has been a hazardous occupation. Miners worked long hours underground sinking shafts and cutting underground tunnels to reach the rich ore deposits. Most of this work was accomplished using large amounts of blasting powder. Accidents in the mines were common. , The local Bonanza Miners Union #235 was formed during the early days of Rhyolite. The union was one of the strongest organizations in Rhyolite and, by April 1907, boasted 1,400 members. Any miner could be a member for dues of $2 a month. , With those dues, the union saw to funeral arrangements for local miners and operated a miners hospital, which provided the patient with a bed, board, and trained nurse attendance. , The Union Hall was located on Golden Street among the most prominent businesses in town. It was constructed of large timbers and featured a pressed tin ceiling. , After a fire destroyed the Union Hall in 1909, it was rebuilt with a stone foundation and basement. , After the demise of Rhyolite, the Union Hall was moved to the nearby town of Beatty. In Beatty, it served as the Old Town Hall and was the social center of the town for many years. , The hall was finally torn down in the 1960s. The wooden emblem that once graced the doors of the Union Hall in Rhyolite now hangs at the Beatty Museum.