Bücher von Jim Kissane

Step into the depths of history and unearth the hidden tales of resilience, danger, and fortune. In this captivating collection of eleven short stories, we journey through a century of mining between the1850's and 1950's,when men and women risked it all for a chance at a better life.Come inside mining operations in Maine, Montana, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, where coal, iron ore, silver, gold, lead, copper, gemstones, and peat were clawed from the earth.Experience life from the perspective of miners, spouses, suppliers, engineers, mine rescuers, children, parents, and even a mine mule.Share their tensions, fears, and anticipation with each day of work and their moments of joy, satisfaction, and inspiration, in a time when individuals overcame adversity and achieved significant and often unexpected results.Feel the moments of exploitation and oppression, the anger and indignation as well as the opportunity to make a new life in the rapidly-changing world of industrial America.But in the end, you'll come away with a smile and a sense of hope, optimism and a new understanding of how resilience and determination led to progress, resulting in positive change.So, grab your pickaxe of imagination and begin prospecting for stories of the extraordinary individuals who worked tirelessly to extract the resources hidden deep beneath the earth.

Years ago, before planes and cars connected dots on the American landscape, before highways and interstates, there was an era when trans-portation meant the people and goods of America moved by horses, wagons, boats and barges.Then came the railroads, which pushed our imaginations and potential beyond the primitive canals and waterways that up to that time deter-mined where Americans lived and worked. Rails of steel opened previously unimaginable links between undiscov-ered parts of our country, created new cities and industries, and connect-ed thousands of isolated towns and communities from coast to coast.It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Western United States. But growth involves people, and the people who made it possible were those who built, operated, and used the railroads.Would you like to get to know these people?Come inside and experience railroad life in a way you've never seen before.This volume is one of a collection of historically inspired works describing people, places and events of several specific major American industries of the 1850's through 1950's.Each volume is lavishly illustrated with archival photos and drawings, and includes glossary of industrial terms and an extensive reading list along with author commentary on the sources for the stories.Readers will enjoy volumes containing original short stories about Automobiles, Communications, Construction, Electricity, Iron and Steel, Logging and Lumber, Manufacturing, Material Handling, Meat-packing, Mining, Motor Trucks, Oil and Gas, Railroads, Textiles, Transportation, Trolleys and Inter-urbans, and a special selection about America's "Western Expansion" during this era.