Mood somber, but friendly in small Utah mining town

HUNTINGTON — The small mining town of Huntington is a bit more subdued and sorrowful today than in days past, several of its residents said this morning. But a feeling of friendliness and cohesion persists and, in the face of horror, has even increased.

"It's more mellow — there's been nothing to laugh at, " said Huntington resident Kelli Neilsen, explaining how the town has changed since six miners were trapped deep inside the Crandall Canyon Mine 15 miles outside of town. "At the same time, everybody is more friendly now. Everybody wants to make sure everyone else is OK."

By Friday afternoon, signs of hope that had been torn during a short storm overnight had been replaced or repaired. Also, several cars drove around town with a new message: Pray for our 12, they read.

Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon said residents remain strong.

"These are difficult times," Gordon said early this afternoon, "but somehow you find that strength inside you that you didn't know you had."

Still, she said, hearing the news of the Thursday incident was like taking a knockout punch while already staggering from the earlier blow of the initial mine collapse.

"It hurts," she said. "It hurts the community, and it hurts the families."

People from all over the state, and around the country, have sent good wishes and support to Huntington and the coal miners, Gordon said. On Thursday, a package arrived at City Hall containing six handmade fleece blankets — one for each family of the original six miners — from a 10-year-old Santaquin boy.

In a heartfelt letter, the boy explained that he had worked for his grandparents to raise money for fabric for the blankets, which are similar to one that he has and turns to when he needs comfort.

"These are the things that kick you over the top when you think you're being strong," Gordon said with tears in her eyes.

Gordon praised the rescue workers who were in the Crandall Canyon Mine, working so desperately to find the trapped miners.

"There is no greater love that you can give to anyone than to give up your life in service to another person," she said.

Nielsen is among the majority of Huntington residents with close ties to mining. She's been married twice, both times to men in underground work, she said. She has always disliked the mines, but chooses to live in Huntington because of her family and her husband's family, she said.