Colorado School of Mines

Abstract

Photograph showing the Colorado School of Mines "M," which was constructed by a group of 250 students and 20 faculty members on nearby Mount Zion in 1908. The 104 by 107 foot letter was built on a 23 degree slope at an elevation of 6900 feet. Joe O'Byrne designed the "M"-blem so it would appear undistorted from any angle of view. In 1931, members of the Colorado School of Mines Blue Key fraternity wired the "M" with electric lighting for Homecoming. The following year a fund drive was held to raise money to light up the "M" permanently, and in 1932 a power line was erected from the School's Brooks Field up to Mount Zion for this purpose. In 1989 the Blue Key fraternity launched an "M" renovation project, re-fitting and re-wiring the symbol to make it possible to control the lighting via a phone modem. After high winds downed the power lines to the "M" in the fall of 1989, the power lines and transformers were replaced using funds provided by the class of 1952.