Minonk took their own garbage to the dump. This was a time before Richard McCormick began his trash pickup service in Minonk. Those first trips to the dump were exciting. It was hard to believe that people would throw such useable things away. Dad never seemed to get as excited about other people's junk as my brother and I. Dad would say, "if it's here next time we come to the dump, we'll have to look at it". Things were always gone the next time we went to the dump. When I walk into an antique store today, I can hear his voice saying, "Why would you want that. We threw it away once". He did get my first bike from the dump. A fender and wheel had to be replaced and front wheel decorative supports were cut away. To a second grader with a Streator Times Press paper route, the bike was the eigth wonder of the world. After I went to college, I understand the bike was returned from wence it came.

When we were older, my friends, Dave Gutherz, Jim Ringe, Bob Romanoski, Oliver Turchi and I would visit with the hobos who built themselves a shelter between the north edge of the Jumbo and the city dump. The dump supplied the needed materials for their shelter--cardboard, tarps, newspapers,wood for framing, stools, and fuel for the fire. We would sit around the fire and listen to the hobos tales of their travels. They would discuss the virtures of Flordia vs California. In California, they had picked oranges off the trees and eaten them. Miami was a famous city; but, Tampa was a better place to go because the people were nicer. My favorite was when they talked about the west--immence plains, rolling hills, azure skies, large cattle herds, continueous fields of golden wheat. They made hoboing an occupation that should be considered. With all the grandeur they attributed to other places they had been, they were still in Minonk. When asked "why", they said the people were friendly and willing to give them employment and food. The mayor had even found them several jobs. As winter was approaching two hobos said they were staying for the winter because they liked the town. I'm not sure how long they stayed. By early spring they were gone, after what turned out to be an exceptionally cold winter.

Our luge was the east side of the Jumbo right next to the cemetary. We would climb to the top, jump on our sleds i.e. a piece of cardboard or tin, and ride to the bottom. One summer the unexpected happened. Someone found a car hood. It was the perfect sled. One person would sit on the hood. A second person would give a push and jump on. We would slide down with no way of controlling the contraption. Headlong we would plunge! The car hood was heating up from the contact with the slag pile. We had to brace our feet on the sides of the hood or find something to sit on that would absorb enough heat for us to finish the ride. Trees loomed below both on the side of the Jumbo and as a hedgerow for the cemetery. There were two choises. Either bail out or close your eyes and hope for a miracle. Most chose the miracle way. Bailing out at those speeds led to cuts and scratches. Besides, after dragging the hood to the top of the Jumbo, one didn't want to miss any of the ride.

My grandfather drowned in the clay pit in the mid 1940's. Needless to say, my brothers and I refrained from swimming in the pit. Winter was another matter. The water froze and ice hockey was in season. Some of us found ice skates saved from prior decades for our sport. Brooms and tree limbs became hockey sticks. We had no zamboni to smooth the ice. Irregularities as ice chunks, protruding tree limbs, discarded cans and snow patches stayed. Playing the game meant dodging the brooms and tree limbs while avoiding the hazards locked in the ice. Controlling the puck was a bonus but not paramount. Jim Ringe was considered our Gretzky (because he had newer shoes than the rest of us and they fit).

A grade school class outing to find fossils on the Jumbo was another adventure. I recall Larry Bearss and Harvey Curley braving the steep climb up the southern slope. We all waited for them to come sliding down; but, they made it. I stayed with the rest of the class and we climbed the wash where the two slag piles were joined. Fossil rocks would slide into the wash when the rains came. That day, Larry and Harvey found some mighty nice rocks.

The fossils had been brought up from depths of 350 to 500 feet. Great marshes had to cover this area before we were born. Plants and animals died in the marsh and were covered with sediment. The sediment built up putting more pressure on the decayed marsh materials turning it into carbon we call coal. Fossils were part of the process, but were entombed in materials which hadn't turned into coal. Fossils found on the old north portion of the Jumbo were more brittle than those found on the newer south portion. Because the north portion of the Jumbo was older, fossils were exposed to the sun for a longer period of time and became brittle.

I believe everyone had fossils after our school outing. We first attempted to crack the fossils open with a hammer . When that wasn't too successful, we took the remaining rocks home to get help from an older sibling or parent. My brother, Jerry, had one of the nicer fossil collections around. Miners would save him exceptional specimens they had dug up. Jerry had a display case and would enter his collection in various contests. I can't recall him not winning the first place ribbon.

The Jumbo was built over a 45 year period by some of our forefathers. They worked deep underground where the sun doesn't shine. They raised families just like everyone else. Many spoke poor english using a lot of dees, dos, and dats. They were abused by employers and other workers,yet, earnest,extremely patriotic, avoided the limelight and thankful to have made it to America. With pick and shovel they dug the coal and slag for the Jumbo. And many would not even let their sons see the insides of a coal mine. They wanted their sons to growup to be "lawyers,doctors and such". Maybe it's good that the Jumbo was hauled away in just those few short days. At least we won't have to keep looking at it remembering the sacrifices the prior generations had to make so that we might enjoy the benefits of America.

You may think that we spent a lot of time at the Jumbo. We did. You see, we didn't have a computer or television or Minonktalk!!