JSnover
10-13-2011, 11:56 AM
Think the price of lead is too high? It's been worse. Copied this from the DCNR:
<snip>Lead and Zinc in Central Pennsylvania
by Robert C. Smith, II, Pennsylvania Geological Survey
INTRODUCTION
According to Miller, lead was mined in southern Sinking Valley as early as 1778. Miller
(1924, p. 13-14), for example, notes:
The first lead and zinc mines of Pennsylvania were operated in the Sinking Valley,
Blair County, during the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army being in great
need of lead for bullets, a party was sent to investigate some lead deposits said to be
in the wilderness near Frankstown [Figure 1]. As a result of the examination General
Daniel Roberdeau opened and worked some shallow mines in the southern end of
Sinking Valley during 1778 and 1779. Several letters from General Roberdeau and
others concerning these operations are in the Pennsylvania Archives, (First Series)
especially in Vols. 6, 7, and 8. At one time 1,000 pounds of lead was sold to the State
at $6.00 a pound in the depreciated currency of the period. It is not known when the
mines closed but probably the operations were short-lived because of the expense of
transporting materials for mining and smelting the ore, the maintenance of laborers in
the Wilderness, as it was called, and the guards that were necessary on account of
hostile Indians.<snip>
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/gsaabstr/smithlead.pdf
<snip>Lead and Zinc in Central Pennsylvania
by Robert C. Smith, II, Pennsylvania Geological Survey
INTRODUCTION
According to Miller, lead was mined in southern Sinking Valley as early as 1778. Miller
(1924, p. 13-14), for example, notes:
The first lead and zinc mines of Pennsylvania were operated in the Sinking Valley,
Blair County, during the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army being in great
need of lead for bullets, a party was sent to investigate some lead deposits said to be
in the wilderness near Frankstown [Figure 1]. As a result of the examination General
Daniel Roberdeau opened and worked some shallow mines in the southern end of
Sinking Valley during 1778 and 1779. Several letters from General Roberdeau and
others concerning these operations are in the Pennsylvania Archives, (First Series)
especially in Vols. 6, 7, and 8. At one time 1,000 pounds of lead was sold to the State
at $6.00 a pound in the depreciated currency of the period. It is not known when the
mines closed but probably the operations were short-lived because of the expense of
transporting materials for mining and smelting the ore, the maintenance of laborers in
the Wilderness, as it was called, and the guards that were necessary on account of
hostile Indians.<snip>
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/gsaabstr/smithlead.pdf