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Souvenir Mining Spoon Reverse Marking
Oronogo Mine photo ca 1901
Souvenir Mining Spoon Oronogo No. 1 Mine, Oronogo, Jasper Co., MO
Souvenir Mining Spoon Oronogo No. 1 Mine, Oronogo, MO
Souvenir Mining Spoon Bowl Marking Oronogo No. 1 Mine, Oronogo, MO
  Souvenir Mining Spoon Reverse Oronogo No. 1 Mine, Oronogo, Jasper Co., MO.JPG - SOUVENIR MINING SPOON ORONOGO MINE NO 1 ORONOGO MO [Sterling silver spoon, 5 7/8 in. long, engraved mining scene in bowl, bowl marked OROGONO NO. 1, handle front in ornate Versailles pattern introduced in 1888 by Gorham; It shows an angel holding a musical instrument, maybe pipes or a lyre; reverse is marked with the old lion-anchor-G hallmark for Gorham, K in a square shape and Sterling; weight 30.9 gms. [Eight miles north of Joplin, Missouri stands the village of Oronogo, originally named Minersville when it sprang up in 1850. According to legend, a miner dug there with his pick and shovel and said, "It's ore here or no go," and so the name Oronogo stuck. Nearby is the site of the richest lead and zinc strike ever made in southwest Missouri. Tom Livingston first discovered the mine before the Civil War, but renegades stole his land while he was away fighting. After the war, they sold it to Granby Mining Company for $50. After almost 80 years of continuous operation, the mine produced $30 million worth of lead and zinc. The Oronogo Circle Mine No. 1, one of the few open-pit mines in the district, stretched 300 feet deep and 600 feet across. The 12-acre unroofed cavern was strip mined at three levels-150 feet, 240 feet, and 360 feet--a flurry of activity with men, trucks, and machinery going up and down the steep inclines. Numerous mills serviced the operation. The largest chunk of pure lead ever found in the district came from the Oronogo Circle. Two flat cars carried it to the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. After the exhibit ended, the mammoth rock sold for $6,000. A deadly accident occurred at the mine in 1901 when a blast of dynamite detonated prematurely, killing 12 men and wrecking a $50,000 mill. Operations shut down for several months because miners refused to go back to work. Chicago capitalists ran the mine from 1906 to 1914, raking in profits of $3 million. They sold it to the Connecticut Mining Company for $500,000. The ground was so honeycombed with shafts and drifts at four levels that it was no longer safe to work underground. In an ill-fated endeavor to make mining the Circle safer, the new owners closed the old shafts and dismantled 20 small mills. They removed underground support pillars and stripped the entire tract down to 300 feet, using the largest steam shovels available. Then they buried dynamite at the former mill sites and ignited them all at once, causing a blast that almost blew Oronogo off the map. The ground shook so violently that a new mill, built on solid ground, fell into the pit and killed six men. The catastrophe cost the company more than $1 million. Connecticut Mining went out of business, and the mine reverted to its original owner, the Granby Mining Company. For many years, the tract lay idle, although investors made half-hearted attempts to resume strip mining. By the 1970s, the huge water-filled pit had become popular with scuba divers, who liked to explore its depths, yet even that turned out tragically, with the deaths of some of the divers.]  
Golconda Mine ca. 1910
Souvenir Mining Spoon Golconda Mine Baker Co. OR
Souvenir Mining Spoon Bowl Marking Golconda Mine
Souvenir Mining Spoon Golconda Mine
Souvenir Mining Spoon Reverse Golconda Mine

Souvenir Mining Spoon Reverse Oronogo No. 1 Mine, Oronogo, Jasper Co., MO | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON ORONOGO MINE NO 1 ORONOGO MO [ Sterling silver spoon, 5 7/8 in. long, engraved mining scene in bowl, bowl marked OROGONO NO. 1, handle front in ornate Versailles pattern introduced in 1888 by Gorham; It shows an angel holding a musical instrument, maybe pipes or a lyre; reverse is marked with the old lion-anchor-G hallmark for Gorham, K in a square shape and Sterling; weight 30.9 gms. [Eight miles north of Joplin, Missouri stands the village of Oronogo, originally named Minersville when it sprang up in 1850. According to legend, a miner dug there with his pick and shovel and said, "It's ore here or no go," and so the name Oronogo stuck. Nearby is the site of the richest lead and zinc strike ever made in southwest Missouri. Tom Livingston first discovered the mine before the Civil War, but renegades stole his land while he was away fighting. After the war, they sold it to Granby Mining Company for $50. After almost 80 years of continuous operation, the mine produced $30 million worth of lead and zinc. The Oronogo Circle Mine No. 1, one of the few open-pit mines in the district, stretched 300 feet deep and 600 feet across. The 12-acre unroofed cavern was strip mined at three levels-150 feet, 240 feet, and 360 feet--a flurry of activity with men, trucks, and machinery going up and down the steep inclines. Numerous mills serviced the operation. The largest chunk of pure lead ever found in the district came from the Oronogo Circle. Two flat cars carried it to the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. After the exhibit ended, the mammoth rock sold for $6,000. A deadly accident occurred at the mine in 1901 when a blast of dynamite detonated prematurely, killing 12 men and wrecking a $50,000 mill. Operations shut down for several months because miners refused to go back to work. Chicago capitalists ran the mine from 1906 to 1914, raking in profits of $3 million. They sold it to the Connecticut Mining Company for $500,000. The ground was so honeycombed with shafts and drifts at four levels that it was no longer safe to work underground. In an ill-fated endeavor to make mining the Circle safer, the new owners closed the old shafts and dismantled 20 small mills. They removed underground support pillars and stripped the entire tract down to 300 feet, using the largest steam shovels available. Then they buried dynamite at the former mill sites and ignited them all at once, causing a blast that almost blew Oronogo off the map. The ground shook so violently that a new mill, built on solid ground, fell into the pit and killed six men. The catastrophe cost the company more than $1 million. Connecticut Mining went out of business, and the mine reverted to its original owner, the Granby Mining Company. For many years, the tract lay idle, although investors made half-hearted attempts to resume strip mining. By the 1970s, the huge water-filled pit had become popular with scuba divers, who liked to explore its depths, yet even that turned out tragically, with the deaths of some of the divers.] Download Original Image
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