Sunshine Mine

The day shift on the morning of May 2, 1972, included 173 men. Around 11:40 a.m., smoke was discovered coming from the 910 raise on the 3700 level. 173 men in the mine at the time of the fire, 80 were able to evacuate, with the last one reaching the surface by 1:30 p.m. Two men, able to find a safe zone on the 4800 level near the No. 12 borehole, were rescued 175 hours later. 91 Men never made it out alive.
The mine was closed for seven months after the fire, one of the worst mining disasters in American history, and the worst disaster in Idaho history. Today, a monument to the lost miners stands beside Interstate 90 near the mine.