Sign Up  /  Login

Coal Miner's Daughter LbNA #24945

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Aug 6, 2006
Location:
City:Oakwood
County:Vermilion
State:Illinois
Boxes:1
Planted by:Kimono Girl
Found by: teamww
Last found:Nov 28, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFaFFFFF
Last edited:Aug 6, 2006
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult. The hike is not a terribly long one (probably about 1 hour round trip) but the trail is very uneven and includes some very steep hills. Inaccessible to strollers and NOT recommended for small children or dogs who are strong pullers (and even those that walk on a loose leash should probably be let off leash to navigate the steepest hills).

Well, I was born a coal miner's daughter
In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler
We were poor, but we had love
That's the one thing that daddy made sure of
He shoveled coal to make a poor man's dollar

My daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mine
All day long in the field a-hoin' corn
Mommy rocked the babies at night
And read the Bible by the coal oil light
And ever'thing would start all over come break of morn'

Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner's pay
Mommy scrubbed our clothes on a washboard ever' day
Why I've seen her fingers bleed
To complain there was no need
She'd smile in Mommy's understanding way

In the summertime we didn't have shoes to wear
But in the wintertime we'd all get a brand new pair
From a mail order catalog
Money made from sellin' a hog
Daddy always managed to get the money somewhere

Yeah! I'm proud to be a coal miner's daughter
I remember well, the well where I drew water
The work we done was hard
At night we'd sleep 'cause we were tired
I never thought of ever leaving Butcher Holler

Well alot of things have changed since way back then
And it's so good to be back home again
Not much left but the floor
Nothing lives here anymore
Except the mem'ries of a coal miner's daughter

While the now inactive Van Lear coal mine mentioned in the song is in Kentucky, this box does reside in a now inactive local coal mine. Drive towards the Inland Sea/Emerald Pond and park in the first parking lot on your left. Enter the forest and travel the “tunnel” of trees until you come to a divergence of paths. There you will find three paths to choose from. Take the second trail to the right. As you travel the “washboard” keep an eye out for the faces of the forest, for there are many of them. After you pass the U with a view, you should eventually come to “CL 1.25.” From here, proceed on to “Butcher Holler,” where two paths intersect. Continue straight and ascend the mountain carefully. Press on a little further. What’s this, could it be the cabin floor? The song says “Nothing lives here anymore,” but perhaps you should wander to the left hand side and investigate the 7th floor board. What's this? It’s more than just “mem’ries,” it’s the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” letterbox nestled next to a rock! Be sure to be discreet and re-hide the box snugly so that it doesn’t get washed down the hill. After stamping in, you can either go back the way you came or break through the brush to your left and return along the road to return to your car.