Old topos

[gimpface]

Anyone know where I can get my hands on some old (1900-1920s) USGS topos? I'm looking for some old mines in Taney county that operated around that time. I kind of get the feeling they'll just be fairly shallow pits (Taney county wasn't known for it's minerals), but I know they were big enough to work for a few years. In particular, I'm looking for a mine called "the Silver Moon" that operated somewhere along the railroad south of Hollister MO. If anyone knows anything, please let me know.

[Anne]

I'm sure Willard could tell you in a couple days! Doesn't the library have older books and maps though? I normally just go to places once they're found and check them out.

[Willard]

Check your local libraries out. The reference sections usually have old atlas' there that are floating around. I'm not sure if the Library Center here in Springfield would have anything or not.

[800813]

You might try ebay as well. I have topo maps on my watch list and some interesting old ones come up fairly regularly.

[White Rabbit]

Well... They sort of built a golf course on top of your mine:

http://www.bransononline.com/bransoncreek.html

Since it was a lead and zinc mine, I bet it was more than a pit-mine like you were thinking, though. Those old zinc mines tend to go straight back into the hill (like in the cartoons) because they follow the vein of the lead.

As for the mines in general, I've got lots of old topos, but nothing even close to that old and nothing that shows mines in that area of Taney. I'd guess that the Greene County library would be your best bet, or maybe the Taney County one (if they have stuff like that at all).

[gimpface]

Damn! Those scurvy bastards! I'm still going to have to check around those hills, though. Maybe they didn't build on it, who knows? That's interesting about the layout of lead/zinc mines. I learned several years ago that a mineral company used to own the property my parents and their neighbors live on... It went under after a few years, but I can't help but to wonder if there's a shaft or something out in the field. I've never found anything to indicate there is, but a friend and I went out with a metal detector and dug up a bunch of stuff that looked like molten lead that had been spilled on the ground (it was under several inches). Makes me wonder about the well water...

[caver]

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.57424 ... &t=k&hl=en

[White Rabbit]

I'm still going to have to check around those hills, though. Maybe they didn't build on it, who knows?

Same here. I also emailed someone at Branson Creek to ask them about the status of that mine.