Lost miners of Dawson remembered

This month marks the 100-year anniversary of the New Mexico mine disaster of 1923 that claimed the lives of 120 men.

It doesn’t matter how many times I go the cemetery, the sight of all the crosses against the mountains moves me to tears.

— Nicki Panagopoulos

By Nick Pappas

O n the afternoon of Feb. 8, 1923, 120 men died in a horrific mine explosion in Dawson, New Mexico, then the largest company-owned town in the American Southwest.

Earlier this month, three days shy of the 100-year anniversary of that tragic event, these men and 263 others killed a decade earlier in the second-deadliest mine disaster in U.S. history were remembered during a memorial service at historic Dawson Cemetery.

“We’re here for a memorial event that touched so many people in their lives,” said Chris Kaitson, national treasurer for the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), an international Greek philanthropic organization that coordinated the Feb. 5 event as one of its national projects.

“This is our history. We’re only here because of folks like this who have dedicated their lives to progress and creating a better life for us and made it possible for us to be here.”

Bishop Constantine of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver presided over the memorial service, assisted by the pastors of New Mexico’s two Greek Orthodox parishes — the Rev. Conan Gill of St. George in Albuquerque and the Rev. Dimitrios Pappas of St. Elias the Prophet in Santa Fe — as well as the Rev. Deacon Constantine Bardossas of St. Catherine in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Afterward, AHEPA representatives and others read the names of the nearly 400 miners who perished in the two mine explosions. Among the volunteer readers: Bob Sexton, the AHEPA national project chairman, who lost his grandfather in the 1913 explosion; and Roxanne Gonzales, whose great-uncle died in the 1923 incident.

Georgia Maryol, who helped organize a similar centennial observance a decade earlier to mark the first of the two disasters, noted that many of the victims were immigrants from Europe. Of the 263 men killed in the Oct. 22, 1913, explosion, for example, nearly three-quarters were European…

Related posts:

Now I know some may beg to differ but, I truly consider this word to be the most powerful two-letter word that I know of and it’s directly linked to your self-empowerment. The thing is, many of us…

If you know that someone in your life is experiencing DV, if you can, please step in to help them. If not, please guide them to appropriate resources.

Look at that cute little face. Don't be fooled by that gentle smile and those happy, gleaming eyes. None of us were prepared for the adventure ahead of us.