PAPERS OX GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 367 



THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REGION 

 ABOUT LASALLE 



G. A. Buzzard. Magnolia, Illinois 



The LaSalle Region, a*s used in this paper, includes an 

 area which, in regard to certain mineral resources, ex- 

 tends some distance beyond the city of LaSalle. This is 

 particularly true with regard to coal. 



The mineral operations of the region under discussion 

 are grouped in five classes: 



1. Coal Mining. 



2. Zinc Smelting. 



3. Cement Manufacturing. 



4. Sand and glass manufacturing. 



5. Brick and Tile manufacturing (Clay products). 



1. Coal Mining. 



LaSalle is located near the northern margin of the 

 coal field called by the state geological department, The 

 Northern Illinois Coal Field (Bull. 16). It extends from 

 LaSalle and Cherry, Bureau Co., on the north, to Roa- 

 noke, Woodford Co., on the south; from Streator on the 

 east, to a line extending from Seatonville, Bureau Co., 

 through Granville, Putnam Co., and Toluca, Marshall 

 Co., on the west. LaSalle and Bureau are the two leading 

 counties in the field in producing coal. The coal mining 

 industry in LaSalle County is centered principally in two 

 sections, one district being in and near LaSalle, and the 

 other in and around Streator. There are at present five 

 shaft coal mines in LaSalle and Peru ; the Streator dis- 

 trict for many years, however, was the leading coal pro- 

 ducing area for the Northern Illinois field. 



The first coal shaft was sunk in LaSalle in 1855 or 

 1856, at the time when the Illinois Central Railroad was 

 being built in the city. The building of this railroad of 

 course gave impetus to coal mining and numerous shafts 

 were sunk in and near the city. LaSalle County led all 

 the counties of the state in coal production in the years 

 1881, 1882 and 1887, though the amount of coal produced 

 was only 624,900; 2,365,000, and 1,125,235 tons respec- 

 tively for those years. Accurate statistics are not avail- 

 able prior to that date. This leadership in coal produc- 



