Zinc Sample - Spiva Park - Joplin MO
N 37° 05.270 W 094° 30.787
15S E 365519 N 4105687
This zinc rock sits at the main entrance to Spiva Park in historic downtown Joplin. It is representative of the ore that brought a mining boom to Joplin in the late 1800's, eventually spawning the thriving city of Joplin.
Waymark Code: WMKJG3
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2014
Views: 3
"Lead was discovered in the Joplin Creek Valley before the Civil War, but it was only after the war that significant development took place. By 1871, numerous mining camps had sprung up in the valley and resident John C. Cox filed a plan for a city on the east side of the valley. While Joplin was first put on the map by lead, it was zinc, often referred to as "jack", that built the town. By the turn of the 20th century, Joplin, in the center of the Tri-state district, became the lead and zinc capital of the world. Due to underground mining, Joplin is nearly 75% undermined.
In 1897, soaring prices and continued active demand produced large profits for mines in the Joplin district, and the following year was one of the most prosperous in the history of zinc mining.” This boom in lead and zinc mining attracted the attention of wealthy Eastern investors. In 1899, a group of Boston capitalists formed a corporation they called American Zinc, Lead, and Smelting Company. American Zinc, as it was commonly known, became one of the major players in the Tri-State Mining District."
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