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| Mining once big in four-county area |
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| Question: What information do you have on the Tomahawk Mine - or any others in the St. Joe area? |
| Answer: Going to old records from the late 1800s, it is evident that mineral and mining, not only in Boone County, but in Searcy, Marion and Newton counties, was a big thing. The Tomahawk Mine held much interest because of its copper content, considered very unusual for the area. |
| Many mining claims were filed on land all along the Lower Buffalo and prospectors came along with investors - settling in to study mineral deposits. Mines were opened, then just as quickly as they opened, they were sold to "mineral men." While searching for zinc, prospectors found great amounts of red clay in crevasses instead of the usual chert and limestone. This led them to believe that since copper had been discovered in clay many years earlier, there would still be deposits of copper in this clay. Little Rock people obtained possession of many acres of land; took out considerable ore; boxed it and hauled it to the river for shipment to Eastern reduction works. |
| When enough of it had been done to show that the Tomahawk area was surely a copper mine, the Little Rock people sold the property to a New Yorker. Was this a case of the Arkie laughing all the way to the bank with his pocket full of the Yankee's money? |
| While the "mineral men" were unsure about the copper deposits around the Tomahawk area, another story developed of rich deposits being found near Panther Creek in Newton County. |
| Prospector Sid Allen was sure he would become a rich man because of his holding in the Newton County mining fields. Although copper never became "big," zinc proved to make money for investors for a few years. |
| The Mountain Wave published the following in 1904: "There is a great deal of mining talk going on here. St. Joe is situated in the heart of some of the best mineral land to be found in the North Arkansas zinc fields. The "Davy Crockett," "Excelsior" and other famous mines are located at the very door of St. Joe, and it will not be long until her fame as a great mining center will be known throughout the world. Among the hustlers who are keeping St. Joe's mining possibilities to the front may be mentioned: W. P. Campbell, Vol H. Williams and E. L. Poe." |
| It was not unusual to hear dynamite blasts as everyone was trying to find ore and operate a mine on their land. Shafts and tunnels were plentiful. The Lucky Dog Mine, located near Tomahawk, is said to have had as many as 500 people living nearby. Huge loads of zinc ore, not copper, were taken from the Lucky Dog, and it was pure enough that it could be shipped just as it came out of the ground. If a man was willing to work in the mines, there were jobs. |
| On Rush Creek near the Sure Pop Mine, another village of several hundred people sprang up. I cannot find too much information on this mine, but Rush is well known for its mining activities, and books on Marion County history will provide a wealth of information on that county's mining history. |
| According to old timers, the big mining boom in Searcy County was over about 1917 or 1918. When the mines shut down, men who had worked in the mines instead of farming had to leave the area to find work elsewhere. |
| Some mineral claim records for Boone County can be found in the Records Room at the Boone County Heritage Museum, and you are invited to stop by and spend an afternoon searching records and enjoying the many displays. Located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue, the museum is housed in the historic 1912 Harrison High School building. |
| The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
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