Minonk's past
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A look at Minonk's past |
Minonk JumboThe Minonk Jumbo was located on the north edge of Minonk. It was a slag pile that was built from the slag brought up from the coalmine over which it was situated. The jumbo was a landmark for over 100 years until 1989 when it was unceremoniously stripped away and hauled to the new interstate highway being built by Minonk to be used as fill for the overpasses.Many residents felt that the jumbo was a Minonk landmark and should have been preserved. However, it was in private ownership and followed the fate of all things that can be converted into cash. Many people have fond memories of the old jumbo. Climbing the jumbo was one of the first rites of passage for a young boy. From there you could get an overview of Minonk. You had to be careful when climbing the jumbo as the slag would sometimes shift and you could easily lose your footing and go rolling down the hill with your pants being torn by the cinders in the slag pile. The jumbo also provided a backdrop to Sutton's Park baseball diamond which was located immediately to the south of the jumbo. The diamond was covered with cinders from the slag pile. Many a ballplayer went home with torn pants after sliding through a layer of cinders into second base. |
The above shot was taken around 1939 on the north curve of Minonk looking east toward the jumbo.
This view is looking east on old Route 51 toward the jumbo. |
