WHERE ARE LEAD AND ZINC MINES LOCATED AND HOW LONG HAVE THESE ORES BEEN MINED?
Although the lead deposits of extreme northwestern Illinois (now Jo Daviess County) were reported by the French explorers in 1658 and are said to have been worked by the Indians, the influx of white settlers in the early 1800’s marked the beginning of an extensive mining industry, which was an important factor in the early development of that part of the state. The town of Galena takes its name from the mineral galena, which was the principal ore mined.
Figure 18—Galena cubes.
In 1845, the Upper Mississippi Valley produced 60 percent of all lead mined in the United States, which then ranked first in world lead production. Until about 1860, the zinc ore was considered useless, but today its total value is several times that of lead.
Lead mining began in southern Illinois in 1842. Lead and zinc production in this area is a by-product of fluorspar mining.