The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-07-06
MINING IN KANSAS.
How n Thriying City sprang from a
Barren Waste.
1From the. Chicago Times.]

six weeks ago lead discoveries were
made on Short creek, in Cherokee cOun-
ty, Kansas, seven miles from the cele-
brated lead mining town ofJoplin, MO-,
and six miles from Baxter Springs, |
Kansas. The discovery created intense |
excitement, and people rushed thither
by the thousand. Joplin is combin-
alton of towns. The principal part OF
the city is called West Joplin, origin
ally Murphysburg. The main street !
of West Joplin is lined with business
houses. The streets are macadarnized
with pulverized flint from the mines, |
aud the city is lighted with gas. Seven |
years ago, where now stands this thrlV- !
ing city of II 900 or Is 600 people, there
was nothing but sterile flint hills,
valueless for agricultural purposes, ana
supposed to be valueless for anything
else. The ground for miles around the
city is fairly honeycombed with lead
shafts, in depth varying from 50 to 100
feet. There are seven or eight smelt-
ing works at Joplin, but the number OF
paving shafts at work am unable to
ascertain.
When, a few weeks ago, lead was
discovered on Short creek, people from
all sections Of Cherokee county and the
neighboring county of Jasper, In MISS
ouri, fiocied thither in search OF lead.
Accom- panying them were people who
want to make money from the hardy
delivers in the rocks. They brought
with them groceries, dry goods, ana
whiskey. They offered their wares
from wagons, and, as soon as lumber
could be procured, they erected cheap
houses for their places of business. In
this manner a town OF two hundreo
houses sprang up within 8 week. The
houses were erected without permis-
sion from the owners Of the land, and
they protested against the trespass; Dut
the protest was no more needed than
!, legislative edict against grasshoppers.
Finally a town company was organ
lied, which located town site on
hill adjoining, and the new town was
christened Galena. A farmer named
Null lived on the land. Two months
AGO he would have been pleased to get
ST 900 for it. He purchased it several
wears ago for 500. He never made
pay1nent; never even paid the taxes,
and had forfeited his rights to the land.
The legal owner generously allowed
Mr. Null to occupy the place, and com
nissioned him With authority to sell 1t.
But no purchaser could be found. 1t
was too poor for a farm, and was con-
sidered utterly worthless. After the
discovery of lead there, Mr.. Null had nc
difficulty in selling the place. He got
for it $4,000 preserving four acres, en-
bracing his ho,nestead), and an origi
nal interest in the town of Galena. The
Baxter Springs gentleman has now re
covered his money.
On the north side of Short creek is
Empire City. About seventy-fve house.
have been or are being erected, anc
the houses on the south of the creek, II
the motley collection I have described
are being removed thither. There arr
now about twenty-five paying shaft
in the Short creek region, and abou
thirty more shafts have struck "slime.'
I visited one shaft that was yielding
five thousand pounds of ore daily
Others were producing only about on
thousand pounds. This ore is turned
over to the mining companies, which
allow the miners S25 per one thousant
mounds.