Empire Subdistrict

The Empire Subdistrict is located in eastern Pope County less than 3 miles west of the apex of Hicks Dome (Figure 14). The mines in this region have also been called the Empire-Knight-Douglas Group (Hatmaker and Davis 1938). Both surface and underground mines have extracted ore, which is predominantly fluorite, with only minor to moderate amounts of galena and sphalerite (Weller et al. 1952). Most of these mines exploited veins, but some bedding replacement ore was mined at the Gaskins, Pierce, Oscar Crabb, and Redd Mines. Weathered gravel spar was mined in fairly significant volumes in the Pierce and Slapout Open Cuts. The mineralized veins appear to be mainly along normal faults with slight to moderate displacement. The faults strike predominantly northeast to east-northeast, with some merging to the southwest. These faults may be radial fractures created by the vertical uplift at Hicks Dome, but some may also be related to the extensional forces that created the Dixon Springs Graben. Baxter et al. (1967) mapped a semicircular fault along the east side of Grand Pierre Creek, which is a northerly extension of the fault mapped by Weller et al. (1952). This fault is concentric, oriented west of Hicks Dome, and extends northeasterly toward the Hamp Fault. Geologic mapping in the Gaskins Mine indicated that left lateral movement was present along with dip-slip displacement. Information on several of the larger mines was taken from an unpublished report by Weller (1943b), who prepared a pace-and-compass map of the subdistrict at a scale of 1:4,800 showing mines and prospects, veins, faults, and other geologic information. The prospects and mines of the Empire Subdistrict are discussed from north to south.

Mines in the Empire Subdistrict

Fowler Prospect

The mine was operated by Spiller and Willis, who extracted gravel spar from the limestone bedrock in two open pits that were dug with a dragline to 15 to 20 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). The maximum width of the gravel ore was 15 feet, but below the weathered gravel ore, only traces of fluorspar in small veinlets were found. The trend of the ore was N 34° E, but traces of spar were detected in several other test pits dug in this area (Weller et al. 1952). More Information: 10082981

Williams (Beecher Williams) Mine

The Williams Mine, operated by Beecher Williams, was located 200 feet northeast of the Rainey Mine. The shaft, sunk in 1938, was 90 feet deep along a vein of fluorspar (Weller et al. 1952). The fault was normal, striking N 32° E and dipping 80° NW (Weller et al. 1952). On the 60-foot level, a drift was driven 150 feet northeast and fluorspar was reported at 50 to 75 feet deep (Weller 1943b). The vein was reported to be locally 6 feet wide but averaged about 2 feet (Weller 1943b). More Information: 10106413

Rainey (Hutchinson) Mine

The Rainey Mine is located along a steep hillside on the north side of Hicks Branch. The mine lies along a vein that trends N 32° E and dips 80° NW (Weller et al. 1952). However, Bain (1905) indicated that the vein trends N 25° E, is 12 to 18 inches wide, and is composed of fluorspar, galena, and sphalerite, with minor amounts of zinc carbonate associated with the blende (sphalerite). Knight, Knight, and Clark operated this mine, which consisted of several prospect pits and a shaft 20 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). In 1939, a drift was driven northerly, and 30 to 40 tons of ore was removed (Weller 1943b). This mine was also known as the Hutchinson Mine (Weller et al. 1952), but Bain (1905) suggested the two prospects were indeed separate and that the Hutchinson was aligned with the Big Joe Prospect well to the west of the Rainey Mine. More Information: 10083078

Hutchinson Mine
The Hutchinson Mine was an open pit operated by James Hutchinson (Bain 1905). White, purple, and green fluorspar and a small amount of galena were present (Bain 1905). This mine could not be accurately located but was in the southwest quarter of sec. 22, north and more or less in line with the Big Joe Prospect. It is not depicted on the accompanying maps. More Information: 10083078 10217309

Baldwin and New Baldwin Mines

The Baldwin Mine was owned by R.F. Taylor and was located about one-half mile north of the Empire Mine (Figure 14). According to the Hardin County Independent (1919) newspaper, “The mining rights on the Walter Baldwin property situated in Section 27, Township 11, Range 7 in Pope County have been purchased by the Julia F. Mining Company of Evansville, Ind., after careful survey made by well-known engineers” (p. 1). A small surface pit uncovered a vein less than 1 foot wide striking N 50° E and dipping 70° SE (Bastin 1931). A shaft located here was sunk to about 70 feet deep, and the deposit was about 100 feet in length, trending N 65° E (Weller et al. 1952). A small amount of gravel spar was produced at this mine, along with some galena and sphalerite (Bastin 1931). The vein was hosted in brecciated Ste. Genevieve Limestone (Bain 1905). Another mine, called the New Baldwin, was located about 2,000 feet slightly west of north from the Baldwin Mine (Baxter et al. 1967). The New Baldwin, located just northeast of the Conrad No. 2 Prospect, was operated by J.C. Conrad. The ore was mainly gravel spar trending N 32° E, and the shaft was dug 40 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). More Information: 10083074 10106432

Wallace Millikan Prospect
This prospect was located about one-fourth mile northwest of the Empire Vein (Bastin 1931). Exactly where this prospect was located is uncertain, but the location cited by Bastin (1931) is in the approximate area of the Davenport and Crabb Prospects. This prospect is not plotted on the map accompanying this report.

O’Rear Prospect
After sinking a 70-foot shaft, miners were disappointed to find only veins about 3 inches wide, striking N 60° E and dipping to the southeast (Weller et al. 1952). Little production was achieved at this site, and Weller et al. (1952) lists the site as a prospect. More Information: 10083075

Todd Prospect
This prospect produced only small amounts of ore from open pits and a shaft 20 to 60 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). A vein of fluorspar with abundant galena was reported to be 1.5 feet wide, striking N 20° E (Weller et al. 1952). More Information: 10083083

Big Joe Prospect

This operation consisted of a series of pits dug along the hillside east of Big Grand Pierre Creek (Figure 14). Exposed were two veins about 8 to 12 inches wide trending N 15° E and separated by a block of sandstone (Bain 1905). Approximately 200 pounds of lead was shipped from this mine (Bain 1905). A trench approximately 150 feet long was found north of the Big Joe Prospect, near the Todd Prospect (Bastin 1931). More Information: 10083055

Conrad (Connard) Prospects
Several Connard Mines (Baxter et al. 1967), also spelled Conrad Mines (Weller et al. 1952), are present and were mainly shallow prospect pits. The pits were dug 9 to 16 feet deep and were aligned in a north–south direction along a small fault that dipped to the west at 85° (Weller et al. 1952). Galena was abundant in these prospects (Weller et al. 1952). More Information: 10083057

Acup Mine
The Acup Mine was operated by Acup and Sons. This mine produced mainly gravel spar from a series of surface pits as deep as 50 feet following a vein striking N 30° E (Weller et al. 1952). More Information: 10083051

Crabb Mine, Crabb Prospects, and Raum Mine

Several mines and prospect pits in the Empire Subdistrict are named Crabb (Figure 14). Bastin (1931) located the Crabb Mine near the center of sec. 27 and stated that a shaft was collared in the Bethel Sandstone, extending 40 feet deep along a vein striking N 45° E. Weller et al. (1952) described two Oscar Crabb sites, a Charles Crabb site, and a Chas. Crabb site (assuming Chas. is an abbreviation for Charles). The Crabb Mine located by Bastin (1931) is probably the Chas. Crabb Prospect located by Weller et al. (1952). Bain (1905) also references a Crab Prospect near Jesse Crabb’s house not far from the Big Joe Prospect. This is the earliest of the Crabb references and details a 2-foot-wide purple fluorspar vein striking N 58° E (Figure 14). The Chas. Crabb Prospect is situated along a vein that strikes N 50° E and dips 80° SE. A shaft was dug to 100 feet at this site, but no production records are available (Weller et al. 1952). The Oscar Crabb Mine, also called the Raum Mine, had three shafts. The No. 1 Shaft was 85 feet deep, the No. 2 was 100 feet deep, and the No. 3 was 85 feet deep (Weller 1943b). The mine was operated by Karber and Adams and was located along the northeast projection of the Empire Vein. This mine was active as early as 1863, but little development occurred until World War II (Weller 1943b). This mine produced ore from a vein and weathered gravel spar deposit. A map in the report by Weller (1943b) shows a No. 1 Shaft at the northeast end of the property and less than 100 feet to the southwest, the No. 2 Shaft. Both shafts were sunk to slightly more than 100 feet and were interconnected to the 70- and 100-foot levels. Good ore up to 9 feet wide was observed southwest of the No. 2 Shaft, and stoping was conducted between the No. 1 and No. 2 Shafts. In addition, the No. 2 Shaft had a 60-foot level running to the southwest, but slightly more than 50 feet along the drift, the ore pinched out. A third shaft (No. 3) was present about 200 feet southwest of the No. 2, but the underground workings were not connected to the No. 1 or No. 2 Shafts. A drift was driven in the No. 3 Shaft about 50 ft to the southwest and 25 feet to the northeast on the 70-foot level. No spar was found to the northeast and 1.8 feet of spar was encountered to the southwest, but no stoping was indicated on the No. 3. Approximately 2,000 tons of spar was produced at this location (Weller 1943b). The Charles Crabb Mine is located south of the Acup Prospect and west of the Baldwin Mine. The Charles Crabb Mine was operated by Knight, Knight, and Clark. The mining was conducted for a length of 225 feet following a 7- to 11-foot-wide vein. The vein was located along a N 20° E trend. The diggings were up to 55 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). The Oscar Crabb Prospect (O. Crabb Prospect) produced mostly bedded fluorite and sphalerite at 35 feet, and the pit was dug to 50 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). No underground observations are on record, but the mine dumps contained fluorite, calcite, galena, and considerable sphalerite. More Information: 10083056

Hicks Prospect

Opened before 1905, this prospect consisted of several open pits dug to 30 and 60 feet deep that were in line with the vein at the Baldwin Mine (Bain 1905). However, Weller et al. (1952) plotted the prospect along Hicks Branch near Illinois Route 34. We used the earlier work of Bain to plot the mine for this research. The vein was mainly clear and purple fluorspar a few inches to 2 feet across, trending N 20° E (Bain 1905). Slickensides were present in the Ste. Genevieve Limestone, and indications were that the west side of the fault was downthrown (Bain 1905). A reference to James Hicks and Son working the Hicks and Collier Mine indicated that a 3-foot-wide vein of spar was encountered in 1936 (Hardin County Independent 1936, p. 5). This may not be the Hicks Prospect, but no other information was found. More Information: 10082990

Farrell Prospect
Weller (1952) showed the Farrell Prospect as located just west of the present location of the Lavender Cemetery. The prospect traced small stringers of fluorspar. No production was reported.

Carnett Prospect
Weller et al. (1952) located the Carnett Prospect just east of the present location of the Lavender Cemetery (Figure 14). The prospect, operated by George Carnett, uncovered a trace of gravel spar, and an exploration pit was about 10 feet deep. No production was reported. More Information: 10082961

Davenport Prospect
Oscar Crabb and Son operated the Davenport, driving a shaft 55 feet deep and working a northeast-striking vein that averaged about 10 inches wide (Weller et al. 1952). Weller et al. (1952) listed the mine as a prospect, indicating little production from this site. More Information: 10083058

Empire Mine

The earliest account of the Empire Mine, the namesake of the Empire Subdistrict, was by Bain (1905, p. 48–50), who made observations underground and in an open pit. Bain (1905) reported that the workings followed a vein running N 48° E and dipping 73° SE, with a small amount of normal displacement. Bain (1905) reported that in the open pit, “a wall of solid white fluorspar was at one point exposed” (p. 49), along with a body of zinc carbonate that assayed at 38% to 40% zinc. Bain (1905) stated that in the shaft, the vein was 6 to 10 feet wide and was composed of “brecciated limestone cemented by fluorspar and calcite intimately intergrown. In this matrix galena, blende [sphalerite], pyrite, and chalcopyrite occur, the two first named being frequently in considerable abundance” (p. 49). The Crystal Fluorspar Company was the operator at the time of Bain’s visit. The Crystal Fluorspar Company owned the Empire Mine around 1900, but earlier workings exploring for lead were probably present during the late 1800s (Weller 1943b). H.B. Pierce, of the Grand Pierre Mining and Manufacturing Company, purchased the property from the Crystal Fluorspar Company around 1925 and leased the property to the Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Company (Weller 1943b). The Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Company operated the Empire Mine from 1924 through 1927 (Bastin 1931). About 7,800 tons of finished spar was recovered from this mine from 1924 to 1927 (Bastin 1931). The ore from this mine was hauled on one-ton trucks to the Stewart Mine, where it was transferred to rail cars and shipped to a mill in Rosiclare (Bastin 1931). In 1927, the property was leased to Knight, Knight, and Clark, who operated it through 1935. When Weller (1943b) visited the Empire Mine in 1943, the property was tied up in litigation and had lain idle since 1935. Weller estimated total production up to that date at 25,000 tons. A.D. Knight and E.A Knight mined the southwestern extension of this vein in 1949 (Davis 1951). The last known operator was the Egyptian Mining Company in 1953 (Holtzinger and Roberts 1956). The workings comprised a series of open pits and several shafts sunk along a fault that trends N 48°–55° E and dips 70°–73°SE (Figures 14 and 15). The vein varied from 2 to 3 feet wide and contained purple fluorite along with calcite, galena, and sphalerite (Bastin 1931; Weller et al. 1952). The early shafts were less than 50 feet deep, but some shafts were later deepened to 180 feet (Weller et al., 1952). The ore was mainly from below the Rosiclare (Aux Vases) Sandstone within the upper part of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone (Bastin 1931). A conspicuous, large open cut about 40 feet deep located between Shafts No. 1 and No. 2 (Figure 15) was present during Weller’s examination of the area (Weller 1943b). A cross-section map from the Ozark-Mahoning file database indicates that Shaft No. 1 was inclined in the vein and that working levels were below the Rosiclare Sandstone in the Ste. Genevieve Limestone at 80, 155, 255, 300, and 340 feet (Weller 1943b). This map also indicates that ore was present at the 475-foot level and that 10 shafts or exploration pits were dug along the vein, along with two open cuts. More Information: 10069403

Redd (Red), Knight, and Roberts Mines

Reflecting changes in ownership, the mines in this area were also known as the Knight and Roberts Mines. This mine is sometimes spelled Red, but many reports use the name Redd. The Knight Mine was developed by E.A. Knight to the southwest of the Empire Mine, and a drift was driven along the fault northeastward to the Empire Mine property line (Bastin 1931). This mine was first operated by Knight, Knight, and Clark around 1927 or 1928, producing about 3,000 tons prior to 1941, when they sold the property to Roberts and Frazer (Weller 1943b). The mine was in production in 1942 and was equipped with a log washer, a picking belt, and screens (Davis 1943). Roberts and Frazer of Illinois, a Kentucky Fluorspar Company affiliate, operated the mine in 1943 at much higher levels than in 1942 (Davis 1945). The Redd Mine was operated by H.B.C. Mining in 1948 (Davis 1950) and by the Redd Mining Company and Humm and Partain in 1949 (Davis 1951). The Redd Mine was adjacent to the Empire Mine, and a map from 1943 shows that ore was being extracted along working levels at 120 and 160 feet (Ozark-Mahoning scanned document; Weller 1943b). Notes on the original Ozark-Mahoning map indicate that additional working levels were at 260 and 325 feet (Figure 15). At the northeast end of this mine, the Rosiclare Sandstone was present on both sides of the fault, which indicates the displacement is small. The vein dips to the southeast at 70°–75° SE and was reported to average 4.5 feet thick, with portions widening to about 12 feet wide (Weller 1943b). Weller (1943b) reported that the fluorspar was primarily vein type and some bedding replacement and that considerable sphalerite was present. The estimated total production from this mine was about 12,000 tons (Weller 1943b). More Information: 10069404

Pierce Mine

This mine has operated intermittently through open pits and shafts that ranged from 35 to 200 feet deep (Weller et al. 1952). Bastin (1931) reported the vein as striking about N 45° E, but Weller et al. (1952) indicated that the fault trend was N 70°–80° E, dipping 85° SE, as seen in open cuts. According to Bain (1905, p. 50), H.B. Pierce began mining operations circa 1905 about one-half mile south of the Empire Mine on the tract that bears his name (Figures 14 and 16). Throughout the 1910s and early 1920s, the mine passed through a series of owners, who dug several open pits. A shaft 200 feet deep was sunk at the intersection of two open cuts, and drifts were driven at the 100-, 140-, and 200-foot levels (Weller 1943b). The levels were driven approximately 175 feet to the southwest and 260 feet to the northeast. Pogue (1918) reported that optical-grade fluorspar was shipped from this mine in 1917. In 1925, Knight, Knight, and Clark sunk four shallow shafts east of the old open pit and removed shallow ore (Weller 1943b). Further developments continued through the 1930s, but by 1940, the mine lay idle. In 1943, Smothers, Bruckner, and Winkler of Champaign, Illinois, brought in a dragline and resumed mining shallow ore along a vein about 4 feet wide northeast of the Pierce Shaft for 350 feet (Weller 1943b). The ore was a combination of gravel spar, bedding replacement, and vein deposits consisting mainly of fluorspar with small quantities of galena and sphalerite (Weller et al. 1952). The width of weathered ore in open cuts was about 9 feet, and the vein was weathered deeper than at the Empire Mine. Weller (1943b) estimated total production at 10,000 to 15,000 tons. More Information: 10083077

Hicks Creek P.M.T. Mine

Before 1952, the Hicks Creek Mining Company sank three shafts to work a 6-foot-wide vein striking N 70° E, an assumed southwest extension of the vein exploited at the Pierce Mine (Weller et al. 1952). Operations continued until 1954 under the P.M.T. Mining Company (Holtzinger and Roberts 1956). A map obtained when scanning Ozark-Mahoning records during the summer of 2018 showed the cross section of a property owned by Hicks Creek-Metz. Three shafts, labeled P.M.T. No. 1, P.M.T. No. 2, and P.M.T. No. 3, were located southwest of the Pierce Shaft. P.M.T. No. 3 was called the Hicks Creek Mine, and P.M.T. No. 2 was called the Blue Eyes Shaft. A notation on this map by DBS (Donald B. Saxby) indicated that as of 1980, 17,000 tons of 30% CaF2 was still in the ground. Several working levels were driven, including at 96, 126, 185, 235, 255, and 290 feet. The P.M.T. Mine was interconnected with an incline–decline to the adjoining property to the southwest, but it was apparently not interconnected with the Pierce underground workings to the northeast. The Ozark-Mahoning map also indicated that the vein was up to 12 feet wide but averaged about 6 feet over most of the workings. Another Ozark-Mahoning map indicated that the Conns log washer was located just northeast of the P.M.T. No. 1 Shaft. More Information: 10106435

Conns Mine
The only available information on the Conns Mine is that it was composed of several surface pits along the Pierce Vein. This location may have been active in the 1980s (www.mindat.org). A map in the files of Ozark-Mahoning located a Conns log washer between the P.M.T. No. 1 and Pierce Shafts. This is probably where the Conns Mine was located.

Turner Prospect, aka Turtle Prospect

A shaft 60 feet deep was sunk to reach veins striking N 70° E and dipping southeast along an apparent continuation of the Pierce Vein (Weller et al. 1952). Veinlets of spar were observed in a prospect shaft at this location (Weller et al. 1952). The prospect was reported by Weller (1943b) as being west of Grand Pierre Creek. However, a later report (Weller et al. 1952) and an Ozark-Mahoning map showed the prospect east of Grand Pierre Creek as being in line with the Pierce Vein. About one-fourth mile south, in the bed of Grand Pierre Creek, a 28-inch vein of fluorspar has been reported (Weller 1943b). More Information: 10083085

T&M Slapout Mine

According to the map by Weller (1943b), the T&M Slapout Mine was located in Pope County between the Pierce and Sycamore Veins. Weller related that H.B. Pierce (of the Pierce Mine) opened the Slapout in 1903, sinking a shaft after preliminary open-cut prospecting between the Pierce and Sycamore Veins extending along a trend of N 45° E. Subsequently, Douglas interests worked the mine until about 1925. A map in the Ozark-Mahoning files indicates that the shaft was just west of the old mill pond, which might have been the area of the open-pit prospecting (Figure 16). The map indicates that this mine was leased from Douglas by the Yingling Mining Company, but no date is shown on the map. Karber and Adams reactivated the Slapout Mine in 1942, excavating open pits and driving a new shaft 130 feet deep to extract a combination of gravel spar, bedded replacement, and vein ore. Weller (1943b) remarked that the Slapout Vein differed from others in the Empire Subdistrict in comprising a series of irregular orebodies along a complicated set of intersecting fractures, as opposed to a single large fissure along a fault. Individual veins ranged up to about 4 feet wide and, in some cases, the fractures were accompanied by bedding replacement ore. Host rock was the Ste. Genevieve Limestone. Ozark-Mahoning maps indicate that the Slapout open cuts intersected the Pierce open cut just east of the Old Pierce Shaft. Approximately 3,000 tons of fluorspar was mined in the Slapout Open Pit. More Information: 10083082

Douglas Mine (Sycamore Vein)

Situated along the southern edge of the Empire District, shafts and pits of the Douglas Mine are aligned along a vein called the Sycamore Vein that trends about N 45°–65° E and dips steeply to the southeast. Ozark-Mahoning maps indicate that the Douglas Mill was located between the Slapout Shaft and the Sycamore Shaft (Figure 16). The mill was equipped with twin log washers, which fed shaking screens (Bastin 1931). A “mill open cut” was also extended north-northeast from the Old Douglas Mill. According to Weller (1943b), operations began here as early as 1903, and the main shaft was constructed in 1921–1922. Weller (1943b) described the Sycamore Vein as dipping steeply to the southeast and ranging from 2.5 to 7 feet wide between limestone walls. In places, ore was weathered to a depth of 200 feet, facilitating open-cut mining. As of 1943, shallow deposits of “coontail” ore (i.e., light- and dark-banded ore of sphalerite, barite, and fluorite) were being worked with a dragline. Weller (1943b) reported that according to the Douglas Mine boss, J.C. Conrad, the shaft was sunk to 200 feet with drifts at the 45-, 100-, 140-, and 200-foot levels, but very little stoping was conducted except at the uppermost level. Knight, Knight, and Clark milled ore from the Douglas Mine in 1941 (Davis 1943). Subsequent owners included the Yingling Mining Company (Davis 1945), Hicks Creek Fluorspar Company (Davis 1950), P.M.T. Mining Company, and finally, the Hicks Creek Mining Company (Davis 1950, 1951; Holtzinger and Roberts 1956). Weller (1943b) reported approximately 10,000 to 12,000 tons of production from this mine. Around 1943, Willis and Spiller, and later Frank Summers, were conducting several cuts utilizing a dragline northeast of the Douglas Mine. Weller (1943b) reported that 6 feet of high-grade weathered ore, possibly related to a replacement-style mineralization, was found in the pits, which were dug up to 40 feet deep. More Information: 10083059

Gaskins Mines

Of the two Gaskins shafts, the primary production appears to be from the Minerva Oil Company’s Gaskins No. 2 Shaft along the southwest extent of the Pierce Vein. A mine along the southwest portion of the Empire Vein was also labeled Gaskins on an Ozark-Mahoning map and was labeled the Tamora Mine on a second Ozark-Mahoning map. Tax records concerning the Tamora Mine published in the Hardin County Independent newspaper indicated the company was active as early as 1957. In 1964, the Tamora Mining Company was assessed at $1,250 by the local tax assessor (Hardin County Independent 1964, p. 7). In 1968, Gill Montgomery stated that the proposed main shaft, the Gaskins No. 2, was planned to be 550 feet deep, with three principal haulage levels at 200, 300, and 400 feet. Montgomery further stated that the shaft would be 6 × 13 feet, with a 2.5-ton skip box installed with a man cage on top. Montgomery reported that the mine was being sunk on a vein south of the old Gaskins No. 1 operation and added that the old shaft was in production prior to 1954. He stated that ore would be hauled to the company’s mill located on the east side of Hardin County (Hardin County Independent 1968, p. 1). The Minerva Oil Company owned the Gaskins Mines, and in 1968, approximately 250 tons per day was being hoisted from the 534-foot-deep shaft (Wells 1969). Vein ore was mined within a fault from the base of the Bethel Sandstone over an ore zone extending about 250 feet down into the Ste. Genevieve Limestone (Figure 17). Ore was present in two parallel veins averaging 5 feet wide, called the north and south veins. The faults were normal, with 20 to 70 feet of vertical offset, but D.B. Saxby (1973) also reported significant horizontal movement along the fault. According to Saxby, who worked as chief geologist for Minerva, “fault movement was mainly horizontal, with the north side moving west relative to the south side” [i.e., left-lateral] (D.B. Saxby, as cited in Baxter et al. 1973, p. 21). Shrinkage stoping was used in the upper portion of the mine, but the ore was mined down an incline to the west into the lower portions of the mine (Saxby 1973). Bedding replacement ore was also present, which averaged 35 feet wide. The main working levels were at 200, 300, 400, 425, 450, and 475 feet (Figure 17). Ozark-Mahoning files indicate that about 179,000 raw tons was mined from this complex. Excellent mineral specimens were collected from the Gaskins Mine in the 1970s. A hallmark of the mine was late-stage cubes of zoned reddish-purple and blue fluorite (commonly 2 to 3 cm), typically found as isolated crystals on creamy white, scalenohedral calcite (variable in size, but typically 10 to 15 cm). Galena was a common associated mineral but never in great abundance. A unique mineral pocket of superlative yellow barite was found in August 1974, with crystals up to 4 inches across on zoned blue and purple fluorite. This pocket is well known in the collecting community and represents the finest yellow barite crystals ever found in southern Illinois (Carlon and Winchell 1975). More Information: 10083062

Gullett Shaft

In 1941 or 1942, Fraley Gullett sank a shaft to about 85 feet deep. Drifts were driven about 95 feet to the northwest and 16 feet to the southeast without intersecting ore (Weller 1943b). The shaft was originally sunk to 85 feet deep but was extended after core drilling identified ore at deeper levels (Weller et al. 1952). This site appears to be near the approximate location of the Gaskins No. 1 and Tamora Mines. More Information: 10083063

Churchill Shaft

The Churchill Shaft was located along the southwest extension of the Sycamore Vein (Figure 14). Ozark-Mahoning mine maps indicate that the shaft was 300 feet deep, with working levels at 40, 208, and 290 feet. The mine was not large, and to the northeast, a shaft labeled C&J was present on Ozark-Mahoning maps. Ore was apparently just below the Rosiclare (Aux Vases) Sandstone in the top of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone.

Hubbard and Glass Shafts

H.B. Pierce and his associates within the Grand Pierre Mining and Manufacturing Company sank the Hubbard Shaft 60 feet deep on a site southwest of the Empire Mine (Bain 1905). The main fracture trend is N 45° E, as seen in an open cut by Bain (1905). The shaft was described by Bain (1905) as collared in the Ste. Genevieve Limestone. The precise location of this shaft is unknown. On a figure in Bain’s publication, the Glass Shaft was plotted just south of the Hubbard Shaft. No further information could be found on the Glass or Hubbard Shaft. They are both probably south of the Douglas and Slapout properties, but precise locations are not available. More Information: 10083067

McKee Prospect
The Southern Fluorspar Company opened several exploratory pits at the McKee Prospect. The company reported no economic mineralization (Weller et al. 1952). In 1942, a 40-foot-deep shaft was sunk by a Dr. McKee and the Southern Fluorspar Company. No production from this site was reported (Weller 1943b).

References

Bain, H.F., 1905, The fluorspar deposits of southern Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 255, 75 p.

Bastin, E.S., 1931, The fluorspar deposits of Hardin and Pope Counties, Illinois: Illinois Geological Survey, Bulletin 58, 116 p.

Baxter, J.W., G.A. Desborough, and E.W. Shaw, 1967, Areal geology of the Illinois Fluorspar District: Part 3—Herod and Shetlerville Quadrangles: Illinois State Geological Survey, Circular 413, map, 1:24,000; report, 41 p. and 1 pl.

Baxter, J.W., J.C. Bradbury, and N.C. Hester, 1973, A geologic excursion to fluorspar mines in Hardin and Pope Counties, Illinois: Illinois State Geological Survey, Guidebook 11, 29 p.

Carlon, J., and J.R. Winchell, 1975, New barite find in Southern Illinois: The Mineralogical Record, v. 6, no. 5, p. 235–236.

Davis, H.W., 1943, Fluorspar and cryolite, in F.M. Shore, ed., Minerals yearbook 1941: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Economics and Statistics Service, p. 1399–1416.

Davis, H.W., 1945, Fluorspar and cryolite, in E.W. Pehrson, ed., Minerals yearbook 1943: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Economics and Statistics Branch, p. 1411–1462.

Davis, H.W., 1950, Fluorspar and cryolite, in E.W. Pehrson and A.F. Matthews, eds., Minerals yearbook 1948: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Economics and Statistics Division, p. 525–544.

Davis, H.W., 1951, Fluorspar and cryolite, in A.F. Matthews and J. Hozik, eds., Minerals yearbook 1949: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, p. 511–530.

Hardin County Independent, 1919, Big fluorspar deal, Aug. 21, p. 1.

Hardin County Independent, 1936, Tower Rock, Aug. 6, p. 5.

Hardin County Independent, 1964, Jul. 9, p. 7.

Hardin County Independent, 1968, New fluorspar mine being developed in Pope County by Minerva Oil Co., Aug. 10, p. 1.

Hatmaker, P., and H.W. Davis, 1938, The fluorspar industry of the United States with special reference to the Illinois-Kentucky District: U.S. Bureau of Mines, Bulletin 59, 128 p.

Holtzinger, J.E., and L.C. Roberts, 1956, Fluorspar and cryolite, in M.J. Ankeny, ed., Minerals yearbook 1953: Metals and minerals (except fuels), Volume I: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Division of Minerals, p. 463–478.

Pogue, J.E., 1918, Optical fluorite in southern Illinois: State of Illinois Department of Registration and Education, State Geological Survey Division, University of Illinois, Bulletin 38, p. 424.

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