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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Exploring Lead Mining in Pocahontas County

 


Exploring Lead Mining in Pocahontas County

While the sources don't focus on the history of mining in Pocahontas County, the manuscript "Natural Settings of Pocahontas County" offers a brief but intriguing glimpse into lead mining activities, likely undertaken by Native Americans, during the early settlement period. The story of Moses Moore's capture by Native Americans provides the context for this insight.

Evidence of Native American Lead Mining:

The account of Moses Moore's capture highlights several details that point to Native American involvement in lead mining.

  • Carrying Ore: After a foray into the woods, the Native Americans who captured Moore returned "loaded down with ore." This suggests they had engaged in extracting ore, likely lead, from a nearby location.
  • Smelting Operations: The group halted their journey at a place later called "Moses Spring" to process the ore they had gathered. This smelting process, which involves heating and melting the ore to extract the metal, indicates a level of metallurgical knowledge and skill.
  • Transport Efficiency: The manuscript emphasizes that smelting was undertaken to reduce the weight of the ore, making it easier to transport. The description notes that after smelting, "one could carry what had required two to bring in as raw material." This detail highlights the practical challenges faced by those engaged in mining and the strategies employed to overcome them.

Locating the Lead Mine:

The manuscript provides some clues, but not a definitive location, for the lead mine worked by the Native Americans.

  • Proximity to Moses Spring: The fact that the Native Americans smelted the ore at Moses Spring suggests that the mine itself was located relatively nearby. It would have been impractical to transport heavy ore over long distances before processing it.
  • "Somewhere in This Locality": The manuscript mentions that, based on tradition, there was a lead mine "somewhere in this locality." This phrase, while vague, reinforces the idea that the mine was situated in the general area where Moses Moore was captured.
  • Additional Research: To pinpoint the mine's exact location, further investigation using sources beyond those provided would be necessary. Historical maps, land surveys, and geological records could offer more precise details.

Significance of the Account:

The brief account of lead mining, though incidental to the story of Moses Moore's capture, offers several valuable insights:

  • Native American Mining Practices: It provides evidence of pre-colonial mining activities in the region, demonstrating that Native Americans possessed the knowledge and skills to locate, extract, and process mineral resources.
  • Early Economic Activities: The account hints at the existence of economic activities in Pocahontas County that predate European settlement. Lead mining, even on a small scale, may have played a role in the lives of Native Americans who inhabited the area.
  • Interconnectedness of Events: The story demonstrates how seemingly disparate events, such as the capture of a settler and the existence of a lead mine, can be intertwined and contribute to a richer understanding of a particular time and place.

This brief glimpse into lead mining in Pocahontas County encourages further exploration using a wider range of historical sources. It raises questions about the extent of Native American mining activities, the potential for other mineral resources in the region, and the impact of mining on the environment and subsequent settlement patterns.

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