Downtown Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Hard Rock Miners
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
1. Hard Rock Miners Marker
This bronze sculpture was commissioned by the city and borough of Juneau during its centennial anniversary year, and is dedicated to the mine whose work provided the lifeblood of Juneau during it first six decades.
In the late 1800s, compressed air machine drills replaced hand drills as the principle tools of hard rock miners. This development enabled miners to handle great quantities of ore at an acceptable low cost. As a result, lodes containing low-grade ore deposit, such as those in the Juneau Goldbelt, became profitable to mine. In this sculpture the pneumatic drill is a generalized version of many different types used over the years. The drills were fed air by hose from the surface steam engines and used pistons to work the steels back and forth in the drill holes. Traditionally a pattern of seven holes and charges would be employed when cutting a tunnel. A team of miners drilled the face of the tunnel though a single eight or ten hour shift and blasted it just before quitting. The sequence of cleanup, more drilling and blasting would begin anew in the next shift. The Alaska-Juneau Mine, which opened in
this page online
Sculpture by Juneau artist Ed Way
Erected by Borough of Juneau.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
Location. 58° 17.94′ N, 134° 24.336′ W. Marker is in Juneau, Alaska, in Juneau Borough. It is in Downtown Juneau. It can be reached from Marine Way near South Franklin Street, on the left when traveling west. The sculpture and marker are located in Marine Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Juneau AK 99801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 7, 2010
2. Hard Rock Miners Marker
Also see . . .
1. flickr Hard Rock Miners. (Submitted on May 29, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
2. Spirit of Nature. A photo of the sculpture. (Submitted on May 29, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 7, 2010
3. Hard Rock Miners Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
4. Hard Rock Miners Detail
Photographed by Mike Stroud, July 5, 1995
5. Hard Rock Miners monument, as seen in 1995
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, September 16, 2013
6. Hard Rock Miners Monument, As Seen in 2013
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 2,123 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 4, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 4. submitted on October 4, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 5. submitted on June 2, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6. submitted on September 30, 2013, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
