The Mine Tour In Missouri That Will Take Your Family On A Fascinating Adventure
By Liz Oliver|Published July 25, 2018
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Liz Oliver
Author
Liz is a Missouri native with a B.A. in English from Mizzou and a M.A. in Non-Profit Administration from Lindenwood University. She works for a STL metro-area community college and enjoys writing, traveling, and indoor cycling. Her true passion is forcing her encyclopedic knowledge of Missouri facts on uninterested strangers from across the globe!
Learning doesn’t only happen during the school year. Summer trips can be a great opportunity to learn about something new while having fun too! Here in Missouri, there are so many great historical sites and free museums that you could fill your entire summer with activities. Did you know Missouri was one of the top lead producing sites in the world? Explore the Missouri Mine State Historic Site to find out about Missouri’s rich mining history.
Come out and explore the Missouri Mining Historical Site to learn about the state's rich mining history. It is located on the former St. Joe Lead Company site in the heart of the Old Lead Belt.
Nearly 155 years ago, the St. Joseph Lead Company bought 950 acres of land near Bonne Terre. In 1923, the company purchased the Federal Mill No. 3 lead mining facility and improved the mill to become the largest lead mill in the world. It remained in operation until 1972.
In 1975, the company donated the land to the Missouri State Parks system. 8,244-acres of land became St. Joe State Park. The remaining 25 acres, where the mill sat, became a historic site by 1980.
On-site is a great museum filled with gems and minerals. They also have artifacts from the mining industry. You can get a great understanding of how dangerous the mining industry was in the early 1900's. The park rangers are so informative and do a fantastic job hosting tours of the production facilities.
Climb aboard the different vehicles that have been used throughout history to help miners extract minerals from far beneath the surface. The machinery is so impressive but it's easy to understand how accidents happened.
Stop to pay tribute to all the men who lost their lives to bring lead to the surface. Summer is the best time to visit the site. Monday through Saturday the site is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sundays the site is open from noon to 6 p.m.
