The Cargill Story
It was March 5, 1968, at approximately 11:30 p.m., when fire engulfed the shaft of the Bell Isle (Cargill Salt, Inc.) Salt Mine. Trapped 1200 feet below, were twenty-one miners, just completing their work shift, and their only way out was engulfed with in flames.
With the fate of the miners unknown, the U.S. Bureau of Mines contacted the Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Company's No. 9 mine at DeKoven, Kentucky, and six miners from Madisonville for assistance.
At the time, the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals sponsored yearly rescue competitions, which kept rescue teams fit and in a state of readiness. There were no mine rescue teams specifically trained for salt mine rescue at that time.
On March 8, the rescue workers found the bodies of the twenty-one miners. According to the coroner's report, on March 6, at approximately 6:00 a.m., twenty of the miners had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, while one miner died of head injuries.
On March 12, the bodies were retrieved, after a fresh air base was established and rescue workers could safely retrieve the bodies.
As a result of the Bell Isle disaster, salt mines established and implemented very aggressive safety standards and trained rescue teams. The cause of the fire was never determined.
Of the 21 miners in the 1968 accident, five were from our home town of Grand Marais, including, my father - Dallas Olivier, uncle (and godfather) - Luke Milton Boutte, and cousins - Alcide & Arthur Olivier and Louis Frilot. It was truly a sad time for our community.
Dallas Olivier
38
Alcide Olivier Jr
22
Luke Milton Boutte
28
Arthur Olivier, Jr
20
Louis Frilot
28
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The Brave Miners...
"In Loving Memory" 1968 Accident Clifford James Benoit Michael Joseph Boudreaux Luke Milton Boutte * Roy P. Byron John Henry Christensen, Jr. Louis Roy Frilot * Paul J. C. Granger Wilbur Garfield Jenkins Minos J. Langlinais, Jr. Alcide Olivier, Jr. * Arthur J. Olivier, Jr. * Dallas Anatole Olivier * Percy Joseph Peltier Hilton Joseph Primeaux Dennis T. Romero Leroy Sanchez Burnice Homer Smith Harris Joseph Touchet Harry J. Touchet Leroy Trahan Chester Joseph Vice 1979 Accident Paul Richard Collins * Donald Mayon, Sr. Amedee Chares Olivier * Adam Sampay Herman Zimmerman Accidents Other Years Rigsby Babineaux - 1975 Joseph M. Culter - 1969 Wilson Jones - 1974 David Marks, Jr. - 1981 Earl Dennis Schannette - 1969 * - Denotes family members from Grand Marais |
Praying - HOPE
The Daily Advertiser: March 8, 1968 Albertha Olivier, my mother, clutches her rosary as she prays, awaiting word on the fate of her husband. 
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Gone, but NOT FORGOTTEN!
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Building a Memory...
A memorial monument, modeled after a salt miner, was erected on a beautifully landscaped site. The Monument is located at the St. Mary Parish Tourist Commission Visitor Center in Franklin, LA, on U.S. Highway 90.
Our uncle, Arthur J. "Art" Olivier, Sr., who also lost a son, and 2 nephews in the tragedy, was used as the model for the image. (Art passed away May 26, 2003.) Memorial Dedication . . . . On March 14, 1998, the West St. Mary Chamber of Commerce officially dedicated the memorial monument to . . . . Twenty-One salt miners who perished in the Bell Isle disaster in 1968.. Other miners who lost their lies, and . . . Rescue teams who tried to save the lives of their fellow miners. Community Spirit & Support In the Spirit of this worthy occasion, family, friends, community leaders and businesses, joined resources and raised $75,000.00 for the memorial monument.. The Memorial wall plaque and monuments are on display at the West St. Mary Office of Tourism located on Highway 90, Franklin, LA. 
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Original 1968 Gravesite
St. Nicholas Cemetery
Patoutville, LA 40th Anniversary -
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Cargill Deicing Technology
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Families Praying
Daily Iberian: March 7, 1968 Family vigil is maintained by wives and children of trapped miners. kenneth |
Abbeville Funerals
Wednesday, March 13, St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church - Abbeville. Services for six miners. Paul Granger, Leroy Trahan, Harris Touchet and his twin brother, Harry Touchet, Michael Boudreaux and Roy Byron. |
Grand Marais Funerals
Wednesday, March 13, St. Nicholas Cemetery Five family members from Grand Marais were laid to rest. Louis Roy Frilot, Arthur J. Olivier, Jr., Dallas A. Olivier, Alcide Olivier, and Luke Milton Boutte. |