Portal No. 31 mine will soon become operational once more, though this time instead of transporting coal from the mines it will transport interested museum patrons into the mines.

Located in Lynch, the mines was made famous in 1923 by setting a world record for coal production in a single nine-hour shift, producing more than 12,820 tons of coal.

Now the portal is being marketed as “more than a trip back in a mine, it is also a trip back in time.” The project to turn this closed mine into an exhibition museum mine began over 30 years ago. Now, after spending nearly $2.3 million in grant money on this state of the art exhibition, it will open to the public this month.

“This is the only exhibition coal mine museum in the United States and possibly the best exhibition mine of its kind in the world,” said Dr. Bruce Ayers, president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College.

During a press conference, the question was raised if the remoteness of the portal would be a problem to people interested in coming from outside of the county and state. Ayers explained that they had been asked several times why not make this sort of thing near the interstate. He said this is where mining took place, and people who may travel here should be able to see what a mining camp and town was like.

“We are trying to use the remoteness as part of the appeal of this attraction. Some of the most interesting places and things are often some of the most remote,” Ayers said.

Portal 31 is the most technological exhibition mines in the country. It incorporates interactive talking animatronic exhibits, with rear projected movie images and audio that gives an authentic mine experience.

The tour’s interactive exhibits were created by Gerard Hilferty & Associates who have designed several different museum and tourist destinations around the nation and world.

The journey begins as patrons board a man-trip and take off to eight different locations deep inside the mine. Nearly $750,000 was spent to add extra strength and reinforcement to the mine’s ceiling.

Ayers said the mine was already safe, but these extra precautions were taken to make this authentic mining trip even more safe for all those who be taking the tour.

A special super-strength wire mesh was placed over the sturdiest half-mile section of the mines by Steve Gardner, a Lexington mine engineer who worked as a consultant.

The tour follows a fictional family, some animatronic, while others are portrayed by videotaped actors. Ayers said they created the family of miners to help tell the story of Portal 31 and show the evolution of coal mining.

“We follow one family through this mine tour. We meet the dad, then his son and finally his grandson. By the time the tour has finished, we have met three different generations of miners,” Ayers said. “We talked about the issues facing the miners, not just mining itself. We tried to be as objectionable as we could with topics.”

Curiosity and interest for this interactive tour has been overwhelming, Ayers said.

Before exiting the mine tour, visitors are presented with a movie experience that has been dubbed “Mine-max.” A movie explaining the history of how coal is formed and the history of the mountain and mine is projected all around the man-trip onto the mine walls.

“We have literally have had hundreds of people that expressed interest in the mine at this time. When we open on Oct. 10 we are going to have to have a lottery for the first people to go through the tours,” Ayers continued saying. “We think it will probably take us about a month before we are able to satisfy this pent up demand. After that we can start scheduling tours on demand.”

Ayers introduced project manager Ed Harris, saying without his help there would be no tour in the mine. Ayers also said there were numerous other people who helped in some form with this mine that it wasn’t just a project of Benham and Lynch but the entire county.

Portal 31 opens to the public on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. Individuals interested in being part of the first tours should contact the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham by Oct. 7. For more information about the tour and times, call 848-1530.