Grant County, Wisconsin - Chapter 4: Present Condition of Grant County Mines, 1900

Chapter 4: Present Condition of Grant County Mines

Since the report in the preceding chapter was made mining in Grant County has greatly declined, although during the last year it has somewhat revived. The new mining is mostly of a different character from the old, as most of the shafts are on the high ridges and have to be sunk very deep and require much pumping; consequently, the min¬ ing is done by stock companies instead of individual workers. Also, the ores of zinc, which before the Civil War were considered worthless in this county, and were thrown out as waste material, and even used in road-making, are now in many mines of more value than the lead ore. But the most productive zinc mines of this region lie just outside of the county to the east, and consequently a description of them is not within the scope of this work.

It is impossible in many instances to get any idea of the amount of ore raised by individual miners. Most of them are working on land owned by other persons, and having to pay rent on the mineral, they are not inclined to make accurate reports of the amount of ore raised. The furnaces of the county, from which much information as to the amount of lead raised in their districts was formerly obtained, have been abandoned and the ore is now shipped away to be smelted.

A remarkable instance of the decadence of mining in the county is seen in the Fairplay district, once so productive. The great mines have been abandoned and only a few individual prospectors are working with comparatively small results.

Potosi District

The Potosi lead mines celebrated in an early day as "Snake Hol¬ low Diggings" have in recent years been almost abandoned as a prof¬ itable employment or even a "grub-stake" producer, as the miners the Long Range, Mud Range, Adney Patch, Silver Point, the Old St. John Cave, or Preston Point, noted and well-known diggings in early days, which turned out millions of lead ore sixty or seventy years ago, are not worked at all, nor even attract the least attention. They are moss-grown and recognized only by the piles of dirt and range of abandoned shafts or mineral holes.

There have been no new and important ranges of mineral discov¬ ered for a number of years though there is more or less sporadic digding done every winter and several thousand pounds of mineral raised and sold.

At present Wallenhurst, Longkamp & Kreizer have good diggings on Section 35, Town 3, near the cross-roads as you go to Dutch Hol¬ low. They have raised the last winter over ten thousand pounds, and probably double that amount during the year, and have drifted only some fifteen feet. The mineral dips down into water too strong to be kept down without machinery. Under this water they have found a bed of black-jack which they have proved for over thirty feet hori¬ zontally. For how much longer the ore runs they do not know.

Chalder & Stuer have good diggings on the south half of Section 36, Town 3, Range 3, which they have worked for a number of years and taken out over one hundred thousand pounds. They expect to wash up several thousand this spring and think the diggings good for a million more.

Durley & Turner aie engaged in the old Pump Diggings of James Alderson, on the Lewis estate, on Section 34, and will probably "wash up" a few thousand when the mud dries up. Their new discovery promises to make quite a bunch and turn out several thousand. This location, rich mineral ground in years gone by, H. W. Wright once worked to good advantage and there may be several fortunes more there.

Peter Rupp, on Section 35, Town 3, Range 3, has good diggings on his farm which he has worked seVeral years and expects to have five thousand pounds in wash-dirt this spring (1900).

John and James Hull, called the "Hull boys," who have mined in Potosi for more than fifty years, are still engaged in drifting in the ground and sell a few thousand every year. Their diggings are on the bill in the rear of the Catholic church in the village, on lands belong¬ ing to the Ennor estate which are perforated with holes out of which have come tons of lead ore, and probably they will produce tons more.

At Rockville there has been some mining during the last winter on old diggings, but little prospecting. Dunn & Krachenbusch are said to have a good prospect and will work up several thousand pounds of mineral this spring.

At Buena Vista George Basing is mining on lands of Clem Thomas, on Section 23, Town 3, Range 3, and getting fair mineral, and on the same section on land belonging to John Lonergan, Alonzo Cardy has dropped onto a bunch of rich mineral which may prove a fortune to the discoverer, if the diggings do not "peter out," as most of them are apt to do before unfolding their wealth.

Jacob Zimmer, on Section 26, the old Tom Langstaff, will raise some fifteen thousand of rich ore this spring and in due time pay for his farm out of the bowels of the earth in place of the surface as is usually the case.

There have been some attempts to strike up drv-bone and black¬ jack veins of ore but as yet have not found it in sufficient quantities to make it an object of much labor and investment.

The Wallenhurst & Co.'s mines are said to be bottomed on this valuable ore, but it pitches too deep and rapidly into the water to make it profitable to work under ruling prices. Time and invention may alter all this, when our dry-bone and black-jack will become the best paying ore to work.

Beetown District

Mining in this once prosperous district is at a low ebb. Besides some desultory prospecting not of sufficient importance to be men¬ tioned if detailed information about it could be obtained, the follow¬ ing notes, referring to the spring of 1900, include all the mining oper¬ ations of which information could be obtained.

Peake & McDonald are sinking a prospect shaft on the Morey Range, in the Hull Hollow south of the village. They found a small scratch eight or ten feet above the lower opening with some mineral. It is undeveloped. They are still sinking for the lower opening.

Chris and Alex. Garner and Horace Groshong are prospecting in the west Hackett Diggings on the Adkinson & Taylor Range. It is only a prospect, but the chances are considered good.

Joseph Sturmer, Oliver Ashley, and Handy have been working in the western part of the Muscalunge Diggings with fair success, so far as is known.

Matt Edwards & Co. have an undeveloped prospect in the diggings east of the village. It shows much pyrite (sulphuret of iron) and some zinc. There is a little lead, but the prospect is considered for zinc only.

Platteville District

The principal mine at present in the vicinity of Platteville is that of the Platteville Lead and Zinc Company, owned and operated by a Platteville stock company. Work on the mine was begun in the fall of 1899. In January, 1900, the shaft was down 120 feet, and four or five flats of jack, from one to three inches thick, were shown near the bottom of the shaft, while at the bottom was a welldeveloped and apparently strong pitch of jack. Water was quite strong, the miners being enveloped in a shower. The veins of jack are strong with some tiff, but little stone. At this depth a drift thirty feet long was made, and a vein of jack from one to four inches thick left in sight. Later on the shaft was sunk deeper and several new sheets of jack shown up.

A company has been organized to put on a steam pump and work a jack prospect on lots owned by I. C. Smelker on East Main Street in the city.

B. I. Dugdale and his son Fred have struck one of the best leads lately discovered in the vicinity of Platteville, on Putnam Davis's land. It has two sheets of lead respectively four and six inches thick. They were taking out a thousand pounds a day, when down twentyseven feet. The wash-dirt averages a hundred pounds to the tubful. The Waters and Stephens mines north of the city are turning out a large amount of dry -bone.

The once famous Big Patch Diggings are now reduced to three or four mines. The Big Patch Mining Company is composed of Platteville mena M. P. Rindlaub being president, Frank Cabanis, vicepresident, B. T. Reed, secretary. The mine is on the southern edge of the village. Work on it was begun in the fall of 1899. The company has lately put on new machinery. Considerable lead and jack have already been taken out and the prospects are very good.

The Wicklow Mine, a mile and a half east of Georgetown, is owned by a company of Cuba City men, Joseph Longbotham being president, E. J. McDonald, secretary, and R. A. Wilson, treasurer. The company was organized in April, 1899, and by the middle of March, 1900, had taken out 300,000 pounds. The night shift alone once took out 13,000 pounds, one night in February.

In the Whig Diggings the miners in the Graham Mine are working on a breast of zinc ore fifty feet wide and three feet high. The Tippe¬ canoe Mining Company has opened up a fine mine on Charles Brunton's land in Section 36, Town of Harrison. Phillips & Co. have struck a fine jack prospect across the Platte from the Graham Mine, and a good lead prospect in Whig Hollow near the Tippecanoe Mine. They have put in a twelve-inch pump and are going down on a three-inch sheet of lead ore.

Hazel Green District

The Crawford Mines and lands were sold last winter for $120,000. Several new pumps have been put at work and the work¬ ing force largely increased. A rich vein of lead and several veins of black-jack have recently been struck.

Joseph Staver has sold his farm of sixty-nine acres adjoining the Crawford Mining Company's lands, for $6,500, to Detroit men, who are about to begin mining operations.

The New Deal Mine, once sold for $35,000, has lately been sold for $100,000. It is one of the largest jack mines ever discovered. Several hundred tons of ore have recently been taken out. It has been opened up so that a hundred men can be put at work on it at once.

Wingville District

The mines at Dry-bone, near Centerville, are the principal ones in this district. The Public Mine produces five hundred tons of black¬ jack and dry-bone a year and some lead.

Edmund Cramer raises considerable dry-bone every winter on his own farm: Several smaller producers have mines from which they would raise more zinc if the price were higher.

Freeman & Topp are preparing to mine zinc ore on a large scale. They intend to concentrate the ore at the mine, and for this purpose have drilled three hundred feet for water. Heretofore the ore has had to be hauled to the Blue River wash-places, as has been the case with the wash-dirt from the lead mines here for sixty years.

Formerly all the zinc ore of these mines was hauled to Mineral Point for reduction ; but now it is shipped at Montfort. Three thou¬ sand tons were delivered at that station last year (1899).

At Livingston the Coker Mine is working forty hands and paying well. At the same place the Rundell Mine is being reopened by a Mad¬ ison company, who are putting in a $3,000 plant.