The Kiwanis brought flowers that, like the boosters vision of Place, came to and left the mine firmly attached to their lapels.  In physical terms this was a short term alteration, with cut flowers and tourists inhabiting the mine for only a matter of hours.  Despite their tenuous connection to Place these flowers were no less permanent than Senuty's.   That the Bellingham Coal Mines' management and the Kiwanis used them to reconstruct postcard nature of the park in the mine, legitimizing a vision of "local" Place and people that fit well with their middle class interpretation of capitalism, illustrates the power in class status to publicly construct Place.  Photo  804, J.W. Sandison Collection, Whatcom Museum of History and Art.   Back     Primary Source Index     Go  to Text