70 Wisconsin and Missouri Lead Region. 



The third locality is that known as " Vallee's diggings," M. 

 Neree Yallee, of St. Louis, having spent some time in working 

 there, and owning a large share of the mine. It is on the north 

 side of the Current river, not quite a mile from it, and about seven 

 miles N. N. E. from the old diggings on Jack's Fork. Here too 

 the ore is found at the junction of the red rock and the limestone, 

 on the edge of a little run which had washed out loose pieces of 

 the ore, thus leading to the discovery. All that can be determin- 

 ed of the quality of the ore here is, that there is a seam about 

 four inches thick running horizontally under limestone strata into 

 the hill ; what its extent is no one can tell, nor whether it leads 

 to any rich veins. The ore is of a different quality from that at 

 the old diggings, being more of a sulphuret, and this mixed with 

 the blue carbonate as well as the green. It much resembles the 

 ore from Mineral Point, Wisconsin. The red rock belongs to a 

 different ridge from that at the old diggings, being farther east. 

 In character, however, and in the changes the rock undergoes 

 near the limestone, they are the same. Vallee became tired of 

 the country and the business, and quitted both. He did conside- 

 rable work here, but too injudiciously to determine any thing 

 concerning the capabilities of the mine. 



These repetitions of the ore encourage the prospect of this be- 

 coming a copper mining country, and naturally lead the people 

 there to look for other veins of ore, which to some extent they 

 have been successful in finding. I have seen ore said to have 

 been discovered near the Current, not far from the Arkansas line, 

 and also from Fourche a Dumas, a stream in that same part of 

 the country. Many discoveries are also reported to have been 

 made by individuals, who think it prudent to keep them secret, 

 now that the government lands are not subject to entry. These 

 localities and others, no doubt, might be discovered by a party of 

 a few men kept at work exploring. But though this may turn 

 out to be a copper mining country, there are many things now 

 operating greatly to its disadvantage. The lands are not yet in 

 the market ; the titles to the mines are founded on old Spanish 

 claims, and on the right of preemption. These are in contest 

 between two parties as regards the old diggings, and their dispute 

 is not likely to be soon settled. Then, whichever party is suc- 

 cessful, the mines will be valued at an exorbitant rate, as though 

 they were already proved to be rich and permanent. Then, 



