Roberts Roots & Branches

Ninety-nine years ago today, 136 coalminers reported for work and by 8:30 a.m. after the second trip car carried miners into the mine, there was a terrible explosion.   Residents saw an ominous plume of black smoke coming from the mine entrance.   By noon, over a thousand people gathered at the mine entrance from Kemmerer and Frontier, whose combined population was only about 2,200 people. Ninety-nine years ago today, 99 men lost their lives in the Frontier Mine No. 1 in Frontier, Wyoming.   Ninety-nine families grieved the loss of their loved ones.   The IOOF hall was lined with sheet covered deceased bodies as families came to identify their coal miners.   The Kemmerer City Cemetery and volunteers prepared three mass graves and numerous other gravesites throughout the cemetery.   Dignitaries and officials arrived in the small town.   Investigations began as rescue efforts proved futile.