Old photos reveal the interesting history of days gone by in our area.

Here is a photo of perhaps the oldest miner from Nederland, now retired: Wolf Tongue Charlie, sitting in a claw-foot bathtub and leaning against a bear rug, in the caboose owned by Jimmy and Char Keith.

 Charlie is a carved wooden man who had been comically attached to the turning gears in the Wolf Tongue mill on W. 1st Street in Nederland. Charlie was jointed at the arms, knees, and legs to make it appear he was cranking three sets of gears.

Today he remains attired in his bib overalls in a wooden buoy shop in Maine, where he greets customers.

Special thanks to Jimmy Keith for helping to remember the area's mining history.