The Miner on the Titanic - Sharach Gale

A few weeks ago, my hiker buddy and I hiked Evans Wilderness to the Chicago Lakes. After our hike, we took a quick drive in the Idaho Springs Cemetery. It was so unique but not fancy; weeds cover tall headstones and many family cribs cover the cemetery. The road sign is a simple brown sign with yellow lettering. Located on a hillside, each road is very narrow, my car sensors where going off. I knew there was something I had to discover here.

 

This is the cemetery’s third location and rests on highway103 near the Chicago Creek where mining first began.

After California’s gold discovery in 1848, people journeyed to the west to find their fortune. But California was not the only place precious metals popped up.  Idaho Springs is a small mining town founded during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush in1859. Apparently, the first gold discovered in Colorado was here. A man name George Andrew Jackson explored the Chicago Creek area and came across a hot spring and gold.  It later became a mining settlement for gold. Gold mines lined the banks of Clear Creek and the location was once the center of technological advancement in mining engineering and techniques[1].  Miners flocked to Idaho Springs, putting the town on the map. 

 

One of those miners was Shadrach Gale. Shadrach was born in England in 1878. His father was a tin miner. Harry, Shadrach’s brother settled in Colorado as a miner.  Following in his families’ footsteps, Shadrach left England in 1903 and also settled in Colorado. It is hard to say why the Gale brothers left England but I’m assuming it was to make their fortune in the gold mines. 

 

Many people traveled from outside of the United States to work in the mines. The boarding house that Shadrach lived in housed many other immigrants from several other countries such as Italy, Switzerland, and Austria[2]. All of them various ages, some single, and some married with children. 

In 1912, Shadrach and Harry went home to England to visit family for a few months. On their journey back to America, they boarded the Titanic as second-class passengers,[3] where they both died at sea. By the way, it was really cool to look at the ship records. 

 

Now to be clear, Shadrach is not buried in the Idaho Springs Cemetery. The headstone is a memorial also known as a cenotaph. The memorial was erected by Woodmen of the World, WOW. WOW, which is now Woodmen Life, is the largest fraternal benefit society with open membership in the United States. It is an insurance organization founded by Joseph Cullen Root in Omaha, Nebraska in 1890. By 1915, their membership grew to 750,000 members.[4]WOW is probably best known today for their headstones, a tree trunk or stumps. It is hard to say why Shadrach did not receive a traditional tree trunk for his headstone but the WOW motto, “Dum Tacet Clamet,” meaning, “Though silent, he speaks,” is inscribed on his headstone. It is also not known if Shadrach’s body was recovered. Shadrach and Harry are mentioned on their parents’ gravestone in England. 

 

Keeping the family trade, Shadrach was a family man. His fellow miners honored him. It speaks volume for Woodmen of the World for them to provide a headstone for someone not buried in the United States.  

Shadrach’s inscription:  

Son of Elijah and Maria Gale
of Harrowbarrow, Calstock,
Cornwall, England
Born July 17, 1879
Perished with the "TITANIC"
April 14, 1912
Erected by the Woodmen of the World[5]

 

 

How Shadrach died is what intrigued me. The Titanic is one of the greatest disasters of history. Titanic today is the subject of many movies, books, museum exhibits, and many more. The famous ship is full of the rich and famous, the poor and those starting new lives.  As a Coloradoan, we often hear about Molly Brown, or the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Do we hear about Molly because she had money, which by the way she gained through mining? We cannot forget about the hard working miners who contributed to the growth of mining towns, even if they did not discover their fortune. 

 

Today Idaho Springs is a tourist oasis traveling on I-70. I occasionally stop at Tommy Knockers after a hike to enjoy a bison burger and a beer. Downtown is full with small shops with knick-knacks and Colorado souvenirs. I will definitely be back to Idaho Springs Cemetery to discover more. 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Simmons, Beth. A Quick History of Idaho Springs. Montrose, CO: Western Reflections Pub. Co., 2004. Page 5

[2] Year: 1910; Census Place: Marshall Basin, San Miguel, Colorado; Roll: T624_125; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0148; FHL microfilm: 1374138

[3] Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists, Series III: Titanic. BT 100/259 and 100/260. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England.

[4] “WoodmenLife's Storied History.” WoodmenLife. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.woodmenlife.org/about/history.cfm. 

[5] Baxter, Trevor. “Shadrach Gale (1878-1912) - Find A Grave Memorial.” Find a Grave. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180045007/shadrach-gale.