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![s-l1601.jpg - SOUVENIR MINING SPOON TRI-STATE MINING DISTRICT GALENA KS - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/2 in. long, engraved mining scene of mine buildings in bowl, handle marked KANSAS, gold-washed bowl marked MINING SCENE, GALENA, reverse marked with maker’s mark of Wendell Mfg. Co., Chicago IL (c.1885 to c.1900 for flatware) and Sterling, ca.1900, 22.9 gms. [The Tri-State district was a historic lead-zinc mining district located in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. Major productions from the mines in Missouri were located around Joplin, MO. In the far southeastern corner of Kansas, the major lead and zinc mines were located in Cherokee County in and around the towns of Galena, Baxter Springs and the now ghost town of Treece. The first commercial production of lead started in the state around Galena in 1877, the state’s oldest mining town. Significant deposits of lead were discovered in the area soon to become Galena in the spring of 1877. Mining companies quickly bought up land and the influx of people was extremely rapid so that in the space of about two months, Galena numbered a population of nearly 3,000 people. Business houses were hastily established, miners’ shanties were built by the dozens, and the townsite was everywhere being dug up with mining excavations. Galena was incorporated as a city in May 1877, less than two months from the time it was laid out. In 1879, the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad extended its line to Galena, and before long, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad followed suit, extending its line from Joplin, Missouri. Deeper mining operations began in earnest, and the town soon saw all manner of passengers, freight, and lead being shipped through the area. More wagons, tents, and hastily constructed buildings sprang up in the new boomtown, which, within months, supported a population of almost 10,000. By the late 1890s, Galena had 265 producing mines, two banks, 36 grocers, and more than four dozen other retails stores. Galena continued to thrive, and by 1904 there were over thirty mining companies situated in or near the town. Over the life of the district, the zinc-lead mines of Cherokee County produced nearly 2.9 million tons of zinc and 0.7 million tons of lead. The overall value of Tri-State mineral production from 1850 to 1950 exceeded one billion dollars. Until 1945, the region was rated as the leading producer of lead and zinc concentrates in the world, accounting for one-half of the zinc and ten percent of the lead produced in the United States. Mining of lead-zinc in the Tri-State district ended in 1970 with the closing of the Eagle-Picher Industries Swalley Mine near Baxter Springs, Kansas. Today, Galena has a population of nearly 3,000 and the remnants of mining in Cherokee County include nearly 3,000 abandoned mine shafts and a Superfund site.]](s-l1601.jpg) |
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| s-l1601 | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON TRI-STATE MINING DISTRICT GALENA KS - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/2 in. long, engraved mining scene of mine buildings in bowl, handle marked KANSAS, gold-washed bowl marked MINING SCENE, GALENA, reverse marked with maker’s mark of Wendell Mfg. Co., Chicago IL (c.1885 to c.1900 for flatware) and Sterling, ca.1900, 22.9 gms. [The Tri-State district was a historic lead-zinc mining district located in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. Major productions from the mines in Missouri were located around Joplin, MO. In the far southeastern corner of Kansas, the major lead and zinc mines were located in Cherokee County in and around the towns of Galena, Baxter Springs and the now ghost town of Treece. The first commercial production of lead started in the state around Galena in 1877, the state’s oldest mining town. Significant deposits of lead were discovered in the area soon to become Galena in the spring of 1877. Mining companies quickly bought up land and the influx of people was extremely rapid so that in the space of about two months, Galena numbered a population of nearly 3,000 people. Business houses were hastily established, miners’ shanties were built by the dozens, and the townsite was everywhere being dug up with mining excavations. Galena was incorporated as a city in May 1877, less than two months from the time it was laid out. In 1879, the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad extended its line to Galena, and before long, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad followed suit, extending its line from Joplin, Missouri. Deeper mining operations began in earnest, and the town soon saw all manner of passengers, freight, and lead being shipped through the area. More wagons, tents, and hastily constructed buildings sprang up in the new boomtown, which, within months, supported a population of almost 10,000. By the late 1890s, Galena had 265 producing mines, two banks, 36 grocers, and more than four dozen other retails stores. Galena continued to thrive, and by 1904 there were over thirty mining companies situated in or near the town. Over the life of the district, the zinc-lead mines of Cherokee County produced nearly 2.9 million tons of zinc and 0.7 million tons of lead. The overall value of Tri-State mineral production from 1850 to 1950 exceeded one billion dollars. Until 1945, the region was rated as the leading producer of lead and zinc concentrates in the world, accounting for one-half of the zinc and ten percent of the lead produced in the United States. Mining of lead-zinc in the Tri-State district ended in 1970 with the closing of the Eagle-Picher Industries Swalley Mine near Baxter Springs, Kansas. Today, Galena has a population of nearly 3,000 and the remnants of mining in Cherokee County include nearly 3,000 abandoned mine shafts and a Superfund site.] |  Original Image |
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