Walker Creek Private Archive
Walker Creek Private Archive
On September 9, 1902, there was a collapse in one of the main tunnels in Sanders Mine. The official cause was accidental activation of dynamite. This incident lead to the deaths of 17 Miners: 11 trapped in the tunnel who turned to cannibalism before dying of suffocation, and 6 who died in the explosion and collapse itself. Only 1 out of the initial 11 survivors were Hosted.
The rescue effort was underway until October 8, when the tunnel was unearthed and returned to operation. John Sanders was blamed for this, as he was the leader of the mine and responsible for making sure that it was safe to operate. It furthered the dislike for John Sanders at the time.
This incident had a profound impact on the next few years of Walker Creek's history, including rising tensions between four factions, the founding of Denton, and eventually a government investigation. Andy Richards and Issac Smithy believed that this was the work of Native Americans and wanted to go to war. Mayor Sanders refused and Richards began an independent militia, which lasted until 1908.