Marion Co TOC

This is an old yellowed brittle copy of a newspaper from the Mining era of Marion Co. It was sent to me by John Headrick. He tells me that he found it in his father's old papers. Many thanks to John for sharing this with us. I knew that some of the mining towns published newspapers but this is the first copy I've ever seen.

The photos in this newspaper are very dim. I've done the best I can with them.

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The Edith Mine at Rush
The Buffalo river zinc mining district is no longer a district of prospects. It is a district of mines. Rush, as a mining camp, is no longer a prospect, it is a full fledged camp with all the trimmings and accessories. It is to the North Arkansas field what Webb City - Cartersville - Prosperity district is to the Southwest-Missouri field. It is the heaviest producing district in the field, producing 50 percent of all the ore produced.

Beginning at the mouth of the Buffalo, at Buffalo City, and following the serpentine meanderings of this clear, snake-like mountain stream for 76 miles, every mile has its possibilities as producing territory for zinc ore. Every creek that empties into this river has its mills and mines. Rush, the center of animation is the central point in the district. Development on Rush creek has progressed further than at any point, and more mills are in operation there than at any other place in the North Arkansas field.

The Buffalo river district, of which Rush is the center, takes in parts of Marion, Baxter and Searcy counties. The largest part of the district, and the section that produces the most ore lies in Marion.

Probably no other zinc filed in the United States offers as many opportunities, or bigger ones, to the zinc miner, as this section offers. Ore is located by prospecting for out-croppings on the mountain sides, which eliminates expensive drilling to locate the ore bodies. After the out-crop is found development is done by tunneling, which is the cheapest method of mining. There is no water to fight, the ore lying in the upper ore stratas above water level, which eliminates another big expense found in deep ground operations.

The White Eagle Mine
The predominating ore of the camp, and district, is zinc carbonate, which is found both free and in dessiminated form. The free ore needs no mill treatment and is shipped as it is taken from the ground. Some mines in the district are operating on this ore entirely, but at most places, to recover the full value from all the dirt that is mined, a mill or cleaning plant of some description is necessary.

Coming into Rush from all directions, one will encounter ore teams pulling the ore to the different shipping points. From off the upper Buffalo, the production is hauled to Gilbert and Pindall on the M.& N. A. Railroad. From the upper end of the Rush creek the production goes to Yellville, and from the lower part of Rush creek, and all of the lower Buffalo river, it all goes to Buffalo. The expenses of wagon transportation of ore in this field is offset by not having pumping and other deep ground expenses to contend with.

In the Buffalo river district at this time twenty concentrating plants are in operation, and many other mines and prospects are being worked. The majority of these figure in the producing column. Where mills are not in operation free ore is being shipped.

Up until the first day of July this year, then new mills had been put in operation since the first of January, and a number are now under construction that will be in operation before the year closes. It will be safe to say that at least 25 miles will be grinding in the district by the first of the new year.

The Rush creek and associate camps last year produced approximately a half million dollars worth of zinc ore. Forty-two hundred tons of this ore came off the Rush creek proper, the balance coming from other mines in the Buffalo river district.

This ore was probably produced cheaper per ton than any zinc ore produced in the United States owing to the easy and inexpensive methods of mining that are characteristic to this camp and district.

While most of the minting to date has been done on the mountain sides, deep drill holes in the valleys have disclosed rich runs of jack, but it is questionable whether these runs will be developed until after the upper runs are worked out, which will take many, many years.

Fully nine-tenths of the ore being produced at this time is carbonate ore. It is sold on a 40 per cent base, and brings approximately two-thirds as much as jack. It is a very desirable ore, as it contains no iron or other impurities and makes absolutely pure spelter.

No corporation or group of corporations control the mining industry in the Buffalo river county. The field of ore bearing ground is large, and the majority of it is being worked under lease. There are hundreds of prospects that show ore at this time, that can be leased on a royalty basis direct from the land owners.