There are other signs that the rescue effort is petering out, with all hopes pinned on the boring of a sixth hole into the mine. On Friday morning, mine officials did not hold the traditional 8:30 a.m. briefing for the miners' families.

Also ending as the weekend neared was the tradition of the families gathering together for support and to sequester themselves from the media, first at a junior high school and, with school starting, at the Desert Edge Christian Chapel. Red Cross and Salvation Army support workers left Wednesday. A national crisis intervention team left Thursday.

As the hype dies down, the reality remains. Gordon told an Emery County newspaper the coal-belt communities won't give up.

"We're reeling," she said after the accident that killed the three rescue workers. "The closest thing I can think of is when you watch a fight on television and you see a boxer that's been given a super hard punch and he's reeling on his feet. We're reeling, but we'll get right back up and fight."

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