The bone-shaking rat-uh-tat-tat din coming from the 100-pound jackleg pneumatic drill as it eats its way into a boulder in the middle of Idaho Springs isn’t exactly a harmonious sound.
But the camaraderie and $11,000 purse are music to the ears of participants in the competitions at the annual Tommy Knockers Mining Days.
The event, held July 14 and 15, drew more than 20 competitors to test their mettle in drilling, mucking and spike-driving competitions for cash prizes and a championship silver belt buckle.
Not unlike a competitive rodeo circuit, miners cross the state to try their skills at Bloom Days in Leadville, the Hard Rockers in Silverton, Miner Days in Nederland, High Graders in Ouray, Days of ‘92 in Creed, and Gold Rush Days in Victor.
According to miner and event organizer Rick Thomas, Tommy Knockers Mining Days, a fund-raising event hosted by the Idaho Springs Elks Lodge, is a Clear Creek County competition steeped in tradition going back more than 100 years.
Proceeds go to the local Elks Lodge’s Teen of the Year Scholarship and to the Historical Society of Idaho Springs.
Thomas has organized the event for 12 years, and this year it drew a larger-than-expected crowd.
“The mining heritage has to be kept alive. If we lose that, we’ve lost Idaho Springs. … Our tourism is based on mining,” said Thomas, who went on to win first place in the single jackleg competition.
For competitor and Grand Junction resident Cliff Jaramillo, the event is about tradition.
“Ever since I was a little kid, my dad used to compete in these same competitions,” Jaramillo said. “I grew to respect it, and I actually did work underground with my father in the mines around Silverton.”
While not a miner, Jaramillo has competed in mining competitions for nearly 12 years and was on the winning jackleg team this year.
“We’ve got a brotherhood with all the different competitors,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo said Tommy Knockers is one of the best competitions in the state and certainly provides the best prize money.
Steve MacDonald, a miner from Nevada, has attended the event for nearly 30 years. This year, he won the all-around miner award for placing high in several categories, including first in hand mucking.
Originally an employee at the Henderson Mine, MacDonald first came to the mining competition in Idaho Springs in the early ‘80s.
“I went to this contest, as a matter of fact, and seeing the jackleg going, and I went in (to work) and put in a transfer to a mining crew, so I could learn how to run a jackleg because it looked like a lot of fun,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald said seeing friends and family is part of what keeps him returning year after year — that and maybe winning a little money.
Contact Ian Neligh at couranteditor@evergreenco.com, and check www.clearcreekcourant.com for updates and breaking news.