MoWIN: Elk River Basin

Elk River Basin - Mines

From 1880 to World War I, mining of lead, zinc, and tripoli was common in the northern part of the Elk River Basin. Today, non-operating mines can be found within the Indian Creek and Buffalo Creek sub-basins. Currently main mining products are limestone, sand, and gravel. Several large limestone quarries are located in the Elk River Basin. See the table below for a list of mines found in the Elk River Basin.

Mines can be a water quality concern because materials from abandoned mines can leach out into groundwater and can eventually reach surface waters. Metals can leach out, sometimes causing the water to become acidic.

For a map of mining areas in the Elk River Basin, visit http://www.conservation.mo.gov/fish/watershed/elk/watqual/010wqf17.htm.

Known information about mines found in the Elk River Basin.

Owner/Operator	Commodity	Type of Mine	Status	Acres	Depth (feet)
Carborundum Company	Tripoli	Processing Plant	Inactive
Baxter Diggings	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	3.5	50
Baxter Mines	Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.13
Carpenter’s Shafts	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.75
Freeto Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive	7
Cornwall Diggings	Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.38
Sheets Shaft	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.13
Sibley Diggings	Lead	Underground	Inactive	0	65
C. Huber	Lead & Barium	Underground	Inactive	0	100
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive		0
We-May Corp.	Limestone	Surface	Inactive		0
Southwest Lime Co.	Limestone	Surface	Inactive		0
Unknown	Lead	Underground	Inactive
F & J Knox	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive
E. Hatzfield	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive
Seneca Lead & Zinc Co.	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.25	130
Unknown	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.13
Unknown	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive
E. Olson	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive	0.75
Unknown	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	2.5	0
Carborundum Co.	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	0.5	0
Carborundum Co.	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	0.25	0
Carborundum Co.	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	0.75	0
Barnsdall-American	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	0.06	0
Carborundum Co.	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	2.5	0
Unknown	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	2.25	0
Carborundum Co.	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	1.5	0
Unknown	Zinc	Underground	Inactive	0.13
Unknown	Silicon & Tripoli	Surface	Inactive	0.38
Unknown			Inactive	0.75
Unknown		Underground	Inactive	0.63
Unknown		Underground	Inactive	1.25
Unknown			Inactive	0.75
Armstrong & Cravens Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Jane Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive	6
Jeffers Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
John P. Hughes Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Joplin-Elk River Stone Co. Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Lanagan Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive	6
Lewis Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Madge Stone Company Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive	0.5
Mill Creek Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Railroad Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Truitt Quarry	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Coal	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Coal	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Iron	Underground	Inactive		30
Unknown	Iron & Coal	Underground	Inactive		116
Nymo Land & Mining Co.	Lead, Zinc, & Iron	Underground	Inactive		150
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive	2
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
Unknown	Zinc	Underground	Inactive		20
Unknown	Zinc	Underground	Inactive		60
Unknown	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive		220
Unknown	Zinc & Lead	Underground	Inactive		25
Noel Concrete	Limestone	Surface	Inactive
McDonald County Sand & Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active	2	0
M. F. Goswick Lime Co.	Limestone	Surface	Active	5	0
Ozark Heights Crushing	Limestone	Surface	Active	5	0
Hall & Riley Quarries & Const. Co.	Limestone	Surface	Active	40	0
Hall & Riley Quarries & Const. Co.	Limestone	Surface	Active	0	0
Macco Gravel Co. Inc.	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active	25	0
	Limestone
Everette Brody	Sand & Gravel	Surface
Jimmy and Chris Morgan	Sand & Gravel	Surface
Jimmy Connor	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Jimmy Connor	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Jimmy Connor	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
B & B Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Zannie Poe	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Marvin Undernehr	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Bella Vista Property	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Floyd Wolf jr.	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
McCullah & Sons Construction	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
McCullah & Sons Construction	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Tillman Sand and Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Ellick Garren	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Sherry Woodard	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Pea Ridge Gravel	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
McCullah & Sons Construction	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Martin Henson	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Kenneth Werries	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0
Troy Henson	Sand & Gravel	Surface	Active		0

Source: MoDNR (1996) and USACE.

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Missouri Department
of Natural Resources

Missouri Watershed Information Network (MoWIN)
Send comments to: mowin1@missouri.edu
205 Agricultural Engineering
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-0085
Toll Free: (MO only): 1-877-H20-shed (426-7433)
Fax: (573) 884-5650

Page last updated August 26, 2008