Kevin Conroy Minerals    

10076 Barberton Dr.

Saint Louis, Missouri 63126

    For more information or to order email me at: k.conroy@worldnet.att.net   

Click on any small picture for a larger view.

The Pea Ridge Mine in Washington County, Missouri (located about midway between the towns of Sullivan and Potosi) was one of the deepest working underground iron ore mines in the world.    It closed in September, 2001.

Most of the following was taken from fliers and pamphlets put out by the company early in 2000:

Located about 70 miles southwest of St Louis, production started in 1963 and the REMAINING ore reserves are estimated at 100 more years (making this one of the richest ore bodies in the world).   Most of the mining is currently at about the 2700 foot level (measured down from the surface).   Test drilling has been perfomed past the 3000 foot level, and has not reached the bottom of the orebody.   This is a huge orebody with a diverse mineralogy, and is classified as an "Olympic Dam" type deposit.    The ore is extremely rich running at over 55%.   The main mineral being extracted for iron ore is magnetite, but there is also some hematite present.   Collectable common minerals found in Pea Ridge Mine include calcite, fluorite, apatite, barite, and chalcopyrite.   For a more complete list of minerals found consult the article by Larry Nuelle in the "Missouri issue" of Rocks and Minerals magazine (March/April 1998).

In addition to these photos I would suggest getting the Volume 19, Number 2 (Summer, 1994) issue of "The Eagle", a publication put out by the Missouri Pacific Historical Society.   The entire issue is dedicated to Pea Ridge Mine, with of course HEAVY emphasis on the railroad aspects!   Try here:     www.mopac.org/eagle.html

This is the headframe for the personnel elevator.

This is the headframe for ore hoisting.

Overall plan of the plant.

The total height of the smokestack is 200 feet.

New Trainloader Cars for development work.

The back end of the Trainloader cars.

First carload of iron ore pellets leaving Meramec Mining Company's new Pea Ridge Mine with the traditional evergreen tree.   The placing of a tree on the first carload of ore shipped from a new mine stems from an old Teutonic custom introduced around 700 AD.    It symbolizes fruitfulness, health, long life and good luck.