|
MICHEL-NATAL - WOMEN - In the Community
Women by investing their energy, interests, and skills
helped transform Michel-Natal into thriving, multi-faceted
communities. Some would say it was a survival instinct that
aroused in women the need to offset the stress of mining life
with a feeling of community spirit. This section is a tribute
to the many women who called Michel-Natal home between
1897-1971.
Typically, women’s subtle and not-so-subtle
contributions have gone unmarked. Indeed, their varied
roles, from supporting the men in the mine, to working as
employees at the various jobs and businesses that kept the
twin communities running, were not undertaken for
recognition but for the sake of creating a home and a
community.
Women made
a variety of contributions to Michel-Natal. Oftentimes the
leaders in encouraging community spirit in the area, the
women of Michel-Natal were instrumental in organizing
parades, bazaars, and spaghetti dinners. Even during
difficult times, such as a funeral or a mine disaster, the
women of the community banded together to make meals for the
mine rescuers or grieving families.
|
