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As sudden and silent as the spread of kudzu and chinese privet covering Red Mountain, time can work to obscure our past from our view. As our city continues to move away from its industrial roots there are fewer and fewer touchstones remaining of that time when Birmingham was a national leader in iron and steel production. Hidden underneath vines, branches, and tons of dirt are the mine shafts where miners once raced into the heart of a mountain to extract minerals and ore, often losing lives in the process. For many of Birmingham's forgotten founding fathers, their stories are written in code through miles of mine shafts, their only memorial, concrete markers indicating where the mines once opened to the surface.  

I had the great fortune recently to see a small portion of that past recovered as a part of the Friends of Red Mountain Park's Fall Tour series. The Friends of Red Mountain Park(FRMP) are a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to helping promote and develop Red Mountain Park for use by the broadest possible range of citizens. Through these hikes, which are offered each third Sunday of the month from now through April, the FRMP hope to raise awareness of this natural and cultural resource which has been hidden just below our feet and in front of our eyes for years. In addition to providing one of America's largest urban green spaces, phase one of the development plan has many features highlighting Birmingham's industrial and mining past. These tours are wonderful opportunity to come out and experience our past, encounter our present and more importantly, to learn how we can help contribute to a better future.

Click on the link to the photo gallery below for more pictures from the October hike by Bradford Daly.  Also be sure and click here and follow our calendar links for details about the next hike!

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