Shake Rag

Mineral Point, Wisconsin's most famous road is one of its oldest - Shake Rag Street.

On a recent trip to Mineral Point there were actually two reasons shared for the name.

The story which matched stories I've heard for years traced the street's name to the method used by miner's wives to call them home for dinner.

The families who left their homes in Cornwall, England settled in Mineral Point to dig for lead ore.

The Merry Christmas Mine was just across the dusty road from where many miners put up small homes like the ones they left behind in the Old Country.

When it was time for dinner, the miner's wives would stand on their front step and shake a rag toward the hill to get the attention of their man so he could head home to clean up and eat.

It's an easy picture to visualize, isn't it?  I imagine dozens of women with white, calico, blue, or checkerboard patterned rags waving them expectantly, anxiously, or angrily to get the attention of those badgers trying to eke out a living.

And after a dirty and dusty day mining lead, I picture the men (in those days it was virtually all men) climbing to their feet to stretch and get the blood flowing before gathering their tools and lunch box to trudge home for supper and some rest before starting over the next day.


In one of the Pendarvis Historic site homes, Shake Rag was also defined as referring to the wretched conditions miners and their families experienced in the early 19th century.

My job doesn't compare to those days.  I get out of a fairly comfortable chair after shutting down the computer, gather a few things to take home and grab an insulated Green Bay Packers lunch bag for the car ride home.

Just not the same thing.  The miners may have had to gather wood to keep warm overnight while my biggest concern is the evening's TV schedule.

As we head into a week for giving thanks, it's worth acknowledging the blessings of daily comfort we enjoy while not even paying attention.

If your job is as comfortable as mine is most of the time, let's give thanks for our situations and ask God's blessings on the working men and women around the world who still must work very hard to eke out a living for themselves and their families.