Contact: Justin Lopinot
314-469-3500
http://www.doerun.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOE RUN OPENS ITS ‘UNDERGROUND TOWN’ DURING OLD MINERS’ DAY
Company only offers public mine tours during the annual celebration in Viburnum, Mo.
VIBURNUM, Mo. (Sept. 30, 2009) — The general public will have its only opportunity of the year to tour an underground Doe Run lead mine during the upcoming Old Miners’ Day celebration in Viburnum, Mo. Guests may tour The Doe Run Company’s Buick Mine and Mill on Saturday, Oct. 3. Tours will take place hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those who would like to take the tour must be 16 or older and sign up at the company’s Old Miners’ Day booth. Buses will transport guests to and from the tour site.
It’s difficult to tell from the surface, but Doe Run’s mines are large underground structures that extend for miles. Four of the company’s six mines – Buick, Brushy Creek, Casteel and Fletcher – are interconnected by more than 20 miles of roadway and hundreds of side roads.
Typically a pleasant 65 degrees, Doe Run lead mines are rocky and damp and may be as deep as 1,250 feet underground. The underground mining method, coupled with the minerals’ natural beauty, often creates glittering rock faces and dramatic rock pillars.
“There aren’t many sites in the United States, let alone the world, that give people the opportunity to see and explore milling operations and underground metal mines,” said Bob Roscoe, vice president of mining and general manager of Doe Run’s Southeast Missouri Mining and Milling Division. “We often open our sites to educational groups for tours, but the general public just has this one opportunity each year to get an up-close look at our operations.”
Roscoe will speak during the 26th annual Old Miners’ Day opening ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. In addition, employees from Doe Run’s SEMO Division will be on site to celebrate the region’s rich mining history alongside neighbors, guests and retired miners, and Doe Run is sponsoring a mining equipment display (above ground).
Old Miners’ Day is a three-day celebration, taking place Oct. 2-4 in Viburnum, Mo. It honors generations of miners who paved the way for Missouri’s mining industry. Today, the state is home to one of the world’s most active lead mining districts, the Viburnum Trend. Mining activities also support the local economy, bringing jobs and revenues to Crawford, Dent, Iron, Reynolds, St. Francois and Washington counties. For more information, visit www.oldminersday.com.
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Doe Run mine tours during Old Miners’ Day, Page 2
About The Doe Run Company
Based in St. Louis, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company and the largest integrated lead producer in the Western Hemisphere. Dedicated to environmentally responsible mineral and metal production, Doe Run operates one of the world’s largest, single-site lead recycling facilities, located in Boss, Mo. The Doe Run Company and its subsidiaries deliver products and services necessary to provide power, protection and convenience. Doe Run has operations in Missouri, Washington and Arizona. For more information, visit www.doerun.com.
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Editor’s Note: If you would like to interview someone from Doe Run about Old Miners’ Day or obtain photographs from previous years, please contact Justin Lopinot at 314-469-3500 or jlopinot@standingpr.com.