The Palace of Mines and Metallurgy formed
the inner part of the east fan-like plan of the
main picture at the Exposition. It stood between
Government Terrace and Art Hill, opposite the
Palaces of Liberal Arts and Education.
Architecture-wise, the Mines Palace was a new
departure in Exposition design. It's architect was
Theo. C. Link, of St. Louis and the grand palace was
525 by 750 feet, which provided 9.1 acres of floor space and cost 500,000 dollars.
Design-wise, the plan of the Mines building was rectangular, to correspond with the Palace of Liberal Arts. The side walls of the building were set back 20 feet and the extensions are treated with screens, creating promenades around the entire building. The building was further distinguished by a lavish use of color. Four stately entrances pierced the facades, each displaying a pair of obelisks and fine statuary ornamentation. The structure was designed in the style of Greek, Egyptian and Byzantine.
The Palace of Mines and Metallurgy housed part of the Mines exhibits, and the rest displays (mainly larger and more dangerous (fire, pollutants, etc.) were outside in the 12-acred Gulch, which lead southwest into the Plateau of States.
The most impressive item in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy was the 120,000 pound statue of Vulcan- the Roman god of the forge, Alabama's main exhibit at the Fair. The statue alone was 56 feet high. The hammer in Vulcan's hand weighed 300 pounds.
The palace also contained displays, exhibits and class pertaining to all aspects of mining. There were showcases of geology, rocks, minerals, and gems as well as machinery and maps. Many states and nations had elaborate and diverse exhibits in th Palace of Mines, here are just a few samples:
Mexico has some quality exhibits mostly pertaining to onyx
and sculptured onyx and copper mining.
Canada wowed visitors with over 50,000 dollars of gold
dust and nuggets.
California exhibited demonstrations of both wet and dry
gold mining.
Louisiana's exhibit included a 850 pound
biblical sculpture of Lot's wife carved in a
block of salt. Also, their exhibit contained a
column of sulphur sculpted into a monument to
Mephistopheles. The column weighed 2,400 pounds.
Colorado showed a scaled gold reduction plant that processed Black Hills gold. Visitors could also bring in one sample of ore for the Colorado State School to acess.
Texas exhibited a pot of mercury that weighed 1,200 pounds.
The Bethlehem Steel Company showcased weaponry such as cannons and massive warship turrets.
The mining exhibits were not just exclusive to inside the palace, the Gulch, displayed many larger exhibits, some on a massive scale.
There was a replica of a Placer gold mine that could be seen
for 10 cents.
On exhibit was a full-sized oil rig.
One of the most popular gulch attractions was a daily ride
down the Gulch by Borax Bill and his 20-mule team. The
mules came all the way from Death Valley.
For 10 cents, visitors could see a replica of `Mammoth'
Crystal Cave.
The Great Anthracite Coal Mine was a simulated Coal Mine
Ride that included electrical exhibits and inventions in the
process of Coal mining technology. Adult admission was 25
cents, while children cost a dime to ride.
The Great Anthracite Coal was initially going to be located on The Pike
Also exhibited at the Gulch was: a typical miner's cabin, hydraulic mining machinery in operation, a
New Mexican turquoise mine, copper smelters, a typical Western mining camp, equipment for testing the coal resources, as to their capacity as gas and steam producers, and as to their adaptability for cooking and briquetting, etc.,
In the Gulch's 120 by 125 foot Metal Pavilion, were the operating exhibits illustrating the working qualities of metals, such as zinc, lead, aluminum, copper, tin, etc.
A Model Foundry pavilion, 120 by 125 feet, was installed in the Gulch to illustrate the handling of iron. This equipment included the cupola furnaces and the molds for the melting and casting of iron,
and other furnaces and molds for the casting of brass, bronze, etc.
There were also in operation electric cranes and other general foundry equipment used for finishing, polishing and plating castings of different kinds.
