58 Wisconsin and Missouri Lead Region. 



of the fissure, but heaps of the red ferruginous earth that was 

 thrown out. In these are seen pieces of hematite iron ore and 

 nodules of flint, with an occasional piece of green carbonate of 

 copper. But the ore was carefully picked out and carried away 

 when the mine was wrought. The greatest depth reached was 

 about fifteen feet. The ore from what I could learn was princi- 

 pally gossan, with lumps of iron ore and green carbonate of cop- 

 per intermixed, scattered through it. It was taken about two 

 miles to the furnace on Big River, where is good water power, 

 and there smelted. The land, though poor, is covered with an 

 open growth of good sized oaks. 



From these insufficient data no conclusion can be drawn as to 

 the real value of such a mine. Actual experiment, by the sinking 

 of shafts properly directed, alone can determine its importance. 

 The lumps of ore that I was able to obtain were not very prom- 

 ising in their quality, but the existence of the gossan is of itself 

 a favorable indication that more ore will be found on sinking 

 deep for it. 



The tract of land connected with the mine consists of about 

 one hundred and eighty acres, and could be purchased for |5,000, 

 and probably much less. But though the indications of ore are 

 sufficient to authorize a thorough examination by those inter- 

 ested there in such operations, they could not of themselves war- 

 rant a purchase of the property by any persons not engaged in 

 mining in that section of country. 



Iro7i Mountain. — The " Iron Mountain" and " Pilot Knob," 

 two hills composed principally of oligist or peroxide of iron, 

 like the iron mountains of Gellvara in Sweden, lie about sixty 

 miles southwest from the Mississippi River, separated from it by 

 a very hilly country. The one is a low hill of about one hun- 

 dred and fifty feet elevation above its base, and forms a part of 

 the range of primary hills extending along the east side of Belle- 

 vue valley. It being low and its sides gently sloping, there is no 

 rock exposed upon it or near it in place. The loose stones found 

 in greatest abundance on the east, south and west sides, are alto- 

 gether the heavy iron ore with but an occasional piece of quartz 

 either loose or attached to the ore, and these are in so great quan- 

 tity as to render it certain that this part of the ridge consists 

 mainly of iron ore in the form of a huge vein in the primary 

 rocks. The top being flat, and the north side not falling away 



