Mineral Map of the Arkansas Zinc and Lead District

Mineral deposits across Arkansas.

This map of north-central Arkansas was published in Chicago by Rand McNally in 1910. It shows Marion County and portions of Searcy, Baxter, Newton, and Boone Counties – the zinc and lead mining district of the Ozarks.

Geographic features, railways, and mining/prospecting sites are noted according to the legend in the lower right. Manuscript annotations, applied after the start of World War I, identify the locations of additional mines northeast of Yellville. According to the Arkansas Office of the State Geologist:

“Although zinc is more common, lead ore was recognized and developed first in the north Arkansas district because of its use for bullets. The presence of lead in this district was noted in 1818. Lead was mined locally before the Civil War, and 3 lead refining furnaces (smelters) were in operation during the Civil War at Lead Hill in Boone County. Afterwards, lead deposits were worked intermittently through 1959 when mining ceased.

The history of lead mining closely parallels that of zinc. The earliest attempts to work north Arkansas zinc deposits were made in 1857 at Calamine, Sharp County, when a zinc smelter was placed in operation. Zinc mining began in the counties farther west in 1899 and reached its peak during World War I. Since 1918, there has been only intermittent mining activity in the district, ending in 1962.”

Source.