Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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Swinging on campus ally life on the PSU campus is a D combination of both the routine and the unexpected. Routine schedules are bright- ened by Homecoming, holidays, spring break, a new friendship or perhaps a new romance. The special feature that really adds vitality to daily routine is the blending of a variety of colorful lifestyles. The choice is left up to the students. They may choose to become activity-oriented, squeezing their classes into a schedule filled with meetings and events. The Pitt State student might opt for the quiet life, concentrating on academic advancement, or perhaps that of an athelete, competing for the Gorillas. An individual's lifestyle may lead them to turn Greek, sharing with their brothers and sisters. He or she may select to live off campus, rather than in the atmosphere of the residence halls. Whatever lifestyle students at PSU live, they find their time here rewarding and memorable. They will remember their years Swinging Through Lifestyles. Different lifestyles can be found amongst the students on campus. At PSU, they are all acceptable. This is evident anywhere you look, even at the beautiful Timmons Chapel, located by the campus lake. All denominations are welcome here. — Kent A, Thompson Lifestyles Division 9

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Rain seems to traditional Iy dampen the annual car show spon- sored by the Society of Automotive Engineers during Ape-Fest weekend. This year was no exception. Joy B rooker-Reed, Pittsburg graduate, takes advantage of a dry spell to touch up the raised white letters on the tires of her husband's car. — Kent A. Thompson It is tradition for the track team to give their coach a dunking in the university lack following the home CSIC track meet, providing they finished in first place. Assistant coach Russ Jewett receives the honor of the traditional ceremony to the amusement of the track team. — Ragan Todd A slip of the wrist can be dangerous in some of the contests held by greeks durirj Derby Days. Ron Ausemus, Girard junior and Sigma Chi member, is left with a mess following the egg dropping game, — Kent A. Thompson

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A variety of activities are all part of Life in the Pits Besides offering a variety of en- tertainment opportunities, the deserted mining pits provide a colorful sight. Flowers and wild grasses add to the untamed look of some of the pits. — Pittsburg is not a large city full of theaters, concert halls and large shopping centers. Once the wonders of the Pittsburg Mall are exhausted, students have to use their imaginations to think of things to do for entertainment. This self-styled entertainment often revolves around the former mining pits that dot the Southeast Kansas countryside. The pits can be used for such activities as swimming, fishing and sunbathing. Although the pits are now used for entertainment purposes, they once played a major role in the economic life of Pittsburg. According to Frank Wilson, contributor to the book Kansas Geology, mining first began in the Southeast Kansas area in the early 1800s, when lead and zinc began to be mined near Galena. Railroads were built to carry out fhe mined ore, and this led to the need for coal, a more efficient and less bulky fuel than wood. Coal mining became one of the most important industries in the area. It was at this time that Pittsburg was founded. At first, the town was just a small coal camp. It was during the lead and zinc boom of 1878 that Pittsburg began to develop, due to the establishment of zinc smelters in the town. Although strip mining came into use in 1870, it was not widely used until 1950. Instead, most mining companies used shaft mines. Strip mining was used in areas where the coal was too thin to be mined from underground, leaving unsightly pits. In strip mining, shovels or draglines dig long, narrow trenches from which the coal is extracted. Wilson describes the strip mined area as resembling a huge plowed field in which each of the ridges and furrows is 100 feet wide and 50 feet deep. As the shovels move forward, lengthening the trench, they fill in the trench behind them with the dirt from the new trench. In the final section, digging is completed and there is no dirt with which to fill in the trench. It is left empty, eventually fills with water, and becomes a pit. Although pits are useful for entertainment, they are not very useful for much else. Because of this, the Kansas Legislature, passed a law in 1969 requiring mining companies to level stripped land to a rolling terrain and to plant trees and grasses. Currently, there are 40,000 acres of strip mined land in Cherokee and Crawford Counties. Continued on page 12 70 Mining Pits