Ervin Batain

Ervin Batain (born February 10, 1954 in Birmingham; died May 10, 2014)

Batain grew up in Grasselli Heights as the son of a miner and graduated from Wenonah High School in 1972. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

As an adult, he began exploring the slopes of Red Mountain where his father had worked. Beginning in 1999 he cleared a trail from his back yard to the former Ishkooda Mine No. 11, which he called the "3D at No. 11 Mining Camp and Nature Trail" and incorporated as a non-profit. He brought his family, friends, neighbors and former miners to the site to talk about the area's mining history. He also collected artifacts from mining activities.

Batain was appointed to the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Commission which develops and manages Red Mountain Park. His trail was incorporated into the park's Redding-Ishkooda Trail and his experiences and knowledge was recorded in an oral history interview available to visitors to the site using a smartphone app.

Batain died in 2014 and is buried at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo. When the northern entrance to the park was completed in 2019, a plaque honoring Batain's contributions was installed at the trail head.

References

• Hryinkiw, Ivana (July 10, 2019) "Honorary marker unveiled at Red Mountain Park." The Birmingham News

External links

• Ervin Batain at Findagrave.com