Kellogg is located in the natural beauty of the Idaho panhandle. A gondola ride crosses the Guesthouse Inn parking lot and carries visitors high into the surrounding mountains. Up the hill from the hotel, the Mining and Smelting Museum tells the story of this town's central role in the mining industry. Included are exhibits about the Sunshine Mine disaster of 1973 in which 91 died. On the day of the disaster 81 were rescued, and two were brought to the surface alive seven days later. Our museum guide still has a difficult time adjusting to the fact that when she was twelve, her father was one of those who died in the mine. We went back to the museum the next day. This time our guide was the person who handled the calls to families and others for the Red Cross. She was present at the mine when the last two survivors were brought up to the surface. Often one of the riches of local museums is the connection of the connection the volunteers have to the events portrayed. In the foreground is a large air compressor, which was used to power tools and equipment at the various levels of the mine. Beside the museum is a new condo complex, echoing the shapes of different smelter buildings.

The sunshine mine was one of the largest producers of silver in the world, but it also had a huge output of lead and zinc. Smelters for these minerals were located just down the trail from Kellogg. The town of Smelterville, two miles away, reflects its historical identity. Smelters extract the desired metals from the ore. Most of what is mined must be disposed of, since the pure metals comprise only a fraction of the rock.

Tailings are a by product of smelting. They are what is left over after the metal is separated from the ore. These tailings are very toxic, containing heavy metals, arsenic, and many carcinogens. Cleaning up after mining is a difficult and expensive project, especially when the mines, such as the Sunshine, are no longer in business. The railroad bed on which the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes lays was built from mine tailings. That is one reason riders are warned not to drink any trailside water or have any contact with the dirt away from the right of way. The railbed itself was covered, paved, and sealed, isolating it from the contaminants.

A long, industrial style building houses the Kellogg City Hall and city departments, as well as the offices for one of the largest EPA Superfund Cleanup Sites in the country. The building sits in front of old mine structures and tailing piles, shown in the picture above.