What was that big boom Friday morning?

Just what was that big boom that people felt and heard for miles? It was the demolition of an abandoned coal mine. Not just any abandoned coal mine. It’s the former AMAX mine that my grandpa Ed Stilwell retired from in 1985. He was a supervisor at that mine. My dad, his son in law, worked at the one down the road known as “portal 2.” He took an early retirement when it was announced that they were closing down. For this coal miner’s kid, it’s the end of an era.