JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A Juneau mining museum has unveiled its first new exhibit in 20 years, courtesy of a donation by the wife of a late city leader fascinated by the region’s mining history.
David Stone, during his life, amassed a collection of items that included old miner’s helmets, carbide lights, glass insulators and history books.
He died in 2012, and his wife, Laurel, donated the items to the Last Chance Mining Museum in hopes of sharing his love of mining through the new exhibit, the Juneau Empire reported (https://bit.ly/1qPCwgR ).
“I wanted his legacy and curiosity and passion to continue to be shared,” she said at the unveiling of the exhibit Sunday. “He was fascinated by this whole state.”
Stone served as an assemblyman for the City and Borough of Juneau and was a deputy mayor. He also was a geologist by training, who had become fascinated with Juneau’s mines as a boy and was co-author of a mining book, “Hard Rock Gold,” Laurel Stone said.
Museum co-director Gary Gillette said David Stone also helped identify artifacts over the years. He was “the guy you could be referred to” if you had a question about Juneau history, Gillette said.
Renee Hughes, who co-directs the museum with Gillette, her husband, said Stone’s collection is a big deal for the facility near the head of Perseverance Trail, which celebrated its 20th summer season in operation Sunday and whose collection had largely been unchanged, until now.
“Over the years we’ve gotten a couple different things but not an entire exhibit,” she said.
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, https://www.juneauempire.com
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