The Silver Moon Mine

[gimpface]

The Silver Moon was a lead mine located near the town of Melva, MO (famous for being wiped off the map by a tornado in 1920). I've been obsessed with finding it ever since I learned about it when I was doing research on Melva in the seventh grade. I have no idea how many hours I've tromped around Melva looking for the damn thing, or how many hours I've spent trying to research it. I thought I was going to find it last year using GPS coordinates provided by the state geological survey, but after wandering aimlessly through the woods with Grey and finding nothing at all, I was getting a bit frustrated. It turned out that I was using the wrong map datum, and was off by about two miles. I made the appropriate corrections but hadn't had the time to go looking again until today. Even with the "correct" coordinates this time, they were off by about a half mile. How do I know this? Because I finally found the damned thing!

It is so stupidly easy to find now, because there is now a well marked, open to the public trail that leads right to it.

Directions: Take 65 south from Hollister and turn left at Branson Creek blvd. Just past the golf clubhouse, you will see a trail on your right with a small sing that reads "Trailhead". Drive down it until you reach a gate. Get out and you will see a sign pointing to the "Silver Moon Loop" trail. Follow it, and you will be there in less than ten minutes!

Pics to follow.

[gimpface]

Pics!

[redox]

gratz on finding the mine gimp, bummer it's flooded. during a dry spell it may empty

[gimpface]

I doubt it. They look to be flooded about six feet or so down, the records from the state indicate that these are 150' deep, seems like a lot of water to drain.

[ropingk]

but there is always nice scuba suit

[gimpface]

Just past the golf clubhouse, you will see a trail on your right with a small sign that reads "Trailhead".

Whoops! The trail is on the left, not the right.