'The Dry' is a fictional play inspired by the 1926 Barnes-Hecker tragedy.

NEGAUNEE -- Mining has a deep rooted history in upper Michigan.

The 1926 Barnes-Hecker mining disaster killed more than 50 men in Marquette County.

"The Dry" tells the fictional story of four widows coping with the death of their husbands after a mining disaster in 1926.

The play takes place at the Dry House where the miners had always hung their wet clothes to dry at the end of the day.

"We all took some time to familiarize ourselves with the happenings, with the mining disaster that it's based on," said Jacque Love, who plays Maggie Killburn.  "I think all of us did our own personal research."

In the play, the house is locked up immediately following the disaster and does not reopen.  But in the middle of the night, the widows sneak into the house to retrieve the street clothes of their husbands, hoping that doing so will bring them a sense of peace.

"It's a historical story from our region, which would benefit everyone from knowing," said director Monica Nordeen.  "I also would like them to pick up the resiliency that the people in this play have."

The playwright says he wants to show us all how mining affects families.

"I'm hoping that people see that iron mining in particular is dangerous work and that the safety equipment and the safety techniques we use now are amazing," said author Paul Olson.

A marker at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum lists the names of all the victims of the Barnes-Hecker mining tragedy.

The show will be playing there Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

There will be two more productions playing Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Vista Theater in Negaunee.

Admission to all shows is free.