Abandoned Mines in Missouri

摘要

Fertile green forests, spacious prairies and meadows, intertwining waterways and a bounteous wildlife population are what drew Missouri's earliest settlers to the "Show Me State". As early as 1740, pioneers discovered that lying just below the state's rich topsoil were extensive mineral resources such as lead, zinc, coal, cop- per, nickel, cobalt, tripoli, stone, clay, industrial sand, lime and barite - the state's mining industry was born. In the 1800's, technological advances created a demand for a new commodity - coal. By the late ' 1870's, Missouri coal mining became an important commodity to fuel new railroads being built and steamboats plying the Mississippi and Missouri. Mining of all types has been an important part of Missouri's economic development and the state's social and cultural heritage. The mining industry's slogan is "If It Can't Be Grown, It Has To Be Mined".