Travel through southern Illinois can be a trip through the visible landscape of American labor history. Each town we have chosen is an important reference point in that story. Whether you explore the “coal triangle route” immediately south of Springfield or extend your trip to the coal towns in far southern Illinois (see the memorials in Marissa, West Frankfort, Herrin), learning about labor heritage in towns where it is recalled will cause you to think deeply about social justice, economic equity and the racial and ethnic dimensions of labor.

Take this tour and learn about the fascinating history of America’s greatest industry. Come face to face with memorials to multiple mine tragedies. Visit lovely small towns that once were the engine of the region’s economy. See many of them rejuvenating. Visit the former mining landscape that Al Capone used for his illicit booze runs on Route 66 during the Prohibition Era.

Tourists on the “Coal Triangle Tour”
with Mother Jones at Union Miners Cemetery in Mt. Olive, 9.27.22

ALL DAY IN THE COAL TRIANGLE TOWNS
Depart from the Coal Miner Statue at the Springfield State Capitol building
– Virden: Battle of Virden Memorial in the town square
– The Coalfield Rest Area on Highway 55 south (small museum exhibits)
– Carlinville: Sears Home District (built to house miners for the new mine)
– Gillespie: Illinois Coal Museum, Colonial Theater site and historical marker
LUNCH AT TILLEY’S BAR AND GRILL IN MT OLIVE
– Mt Olive:  Mother Jones Museum and Union Miners Cemetery
– Benld: pick up Italian delicacies at Fema’s grocery – a legacy of the Italian miners
– Hillsboro: exhibition in Public Library
– Panama: John Lewis historical marker, Union Cemetery with miners memorial, Village Hall museum
– The Coalfield Rest Area on Highway 55 north (small museum exhibits)
RETURN TO SPRINGFIELD

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