Author: doubledacres

Silver Mines 2023

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St Francis River inside Silver Mines.

Silver Mines is located in the Mark Twain National Forest on the St Francis River in Madison County near Fredericktown, MO. There are 67 campsites, 11 sites with electricity, the rest are primitive. There is a group site that can accommodate up to 75 people. It is normally open from March to the end of October. Amenities include picnic tables, vault toilets, water spigots, campfire rings and lantern posts.

Picture of old mine building. Picture given to me by one of the camp visitors. No idea when picture was taken.

Looking up the St Francis River.
Trail going to the damn and Turkey Creek.
Another section of the trail.

Section of trail.
Early morning looking down river.
Sun setting in Silver Mines.

There are 3 Day Use areas where visitors can park. They are open from 6 am to 10 pm and there is a fee of $5 per vehicle. There is also a covered pavilion that can be reserved. There are also 6 vault toilets located in the park. There is an abundance of wildlife in the park and the fishing is good. The trails are what I would call moderate. There was a 90 year old man that hiked both trails this year.

Doe crossing road at Turkey Creek gate.

This fawn got use to our golf cart and got pretty close.

I took a whole lot of photos that I plan on sharing with everyone. It is truly a photographer’s paradise. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. It is very much appreciated.

Silver Mines dam

Silver Mines a Missouri Gem

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Believe me when I tell you as a campground host in Silver Mines, that you won’t become rich in a monetary sense, but you will leave rich in memories. Part of our job was to lock the gate into the Turkey Creek Day Use Area at 10 pm and unlock it at 6 am. I would leave at 5:30 am to go unlock the gate. I loved that part of my job. The deer became use to our golf cart and would let me get pretty close to them. I also saw some beautiful sunrises.

Bulletin Board at Turkey Day Use area. The pay tube is to the right of it.
River Loop Campground Bulletin Board. There was electric at these sites.
Sunrise on the St Francis River in Silver Mines

Steps on the trail leading to the Summit Campground.
One of the trail signs.

We would police the park for trash every day. I wish I had a penny for every cigarette butt we picked up. We probably picked up a coffee can full a week. Soda cans, beer bottles, Wal Mart bags, fast food wrappers, and even dirty diapers along the road were also a problem. We worked hard to keep the park free of litter.

Water over the old highway D bridge.
Flood water rushing over the rocks, on the St Francis River.

It was a weird year as far as the weather. The first week we were there in March we had a lot of rain causing the river to rise. The river came up pretty fast and then it crested. That was a teaser because a couple of hours later, it started rising again with a vengeance, rising 2 foot an hour. We almost had to move the camper to higher ground, it was close, very close, but at the last minute, it started dropping. The river got over the old highway D bridge 5 times this year.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. It is very much appreciated.

Campground Hosts at Silver Mines

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What does a campground host actually do? I can only answer to what we did at Silver Mines. To be accepted as campground hosts, we had a background check, got fingerprinted and signed a Volunteer Agreement. We read it but we don’t remember what it said, it was back in March, and we never did get a copy of it even though we were told we would get one.

Our duties were to clean firepits and bathrooms, empty the garbage cans, keep the park clean, police campsites, (picking up any litter left by campers), and stock pay envelopes. Campers and day use, users filled out the envelopes, put payment inside the envelopes, sealed them and put them in a tube where forest service employees would come by and collect. This was done on an honor system. As volunteers we weren’t allowed to touch the money. We didn’t nor the forest service know if these people had paid or not.

We were also responsible for posting reservations on the campground site. We couldn’t take reservations, they were done online. Reservations were faxed to us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Then as soon as possible we would post them on the proper campsites.

We also made sure campers abided by the rules. We rode through the park 2 to 3 times a day and the last we did at 10:00 pm to see if everyone was observing the “Quiet Time”. We helped campers find their sites, answer any questions that they might have. We gave out trail information, we hiked all of them to familiarize ourselves with the trails. The trail that goes to the Einstein Mine seems to be the favorite.

On a good note, we did get to meet a lot of good people, make new friends, and see some beautiful sites. There is an abundance of wildlife in the area. Beaver, herons or egrets, racoon, squirrels, and possums and its cousin the armadillo.

Thanks for reading.

Silver Mines Recreation Area

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Around the year 1855, Mr. Beaugholtz, noticed that that boulders of quartz on a hillside overlooking the St. Francis River contained what appeared to be silver bearing galena.  He convinced a man by the name of Lloyd to help him find the quartz vein.  Together they dug several prospect holes, but due to their lack of mining experience, failed to locate the vein.

An experienced miner by the name of William Einstein heard about the quartz boulders and was successful in finding the quartz vein and began prospecting and mapping it for the next 16 years, then he and Samuel Knox bought the property.

He finally decided on a place to begin a shaft on May 5th, 1875.  He hired a group of men to begin digging and the deeper they dug there was an improvement in the ore.  He decided to look for a newer location of the vein closer to the river.  He was successful and found the vein located just a few feet above the elevation of the river.  He then directed his focus to this area.  He began looking for investors and was able to persuade Samuel Knox Jr. and Gerald Allen to join him and Samuel Knox and the Home Silver Mining Company was founded in May of 1878.  It was estimated that it took $175,000 to develop the mine.

Construction of a state of the art three story mill began and 20 acres of land was set aside for the development of a town that was named Silver Mountain and consisted of the Company Office, hotel, school, grocery store, dry goods store, drug store, blacksmith shop, two butcher shops.  Two to three hundred miners were employed and along with their family members created a population estimated to be 800 to 900 people.

The Madison County court approved the Home Silver Mining Company, and a stone dam was constructed a short distance upriver from the mine and was used to produce energy to provide power to the mill.  With all the improvements, the mine began producing 100 tons of ore a day that contained approximately 15 to 90 ounces of silver a day.

August 24th, 1879, the company shipped its first load only to close 4 months later.  In December 1879, Einstein was replaced by Donald Palmer who ordered all equipment removed from the mine.  All unprocessed ore was sold, and the miners were let go.  Within a year and a half, the town was abandoned.  In the time it operated, 70,000 pounds of lead and 3,000 ounces of silver were produced.

There were several people who didn’t want to give up on the mine and several attempts were made to reopen it.  Later, uses for Tungsten were developed and beginning in 1916 several companies attempted to mine Tungsten from it.  All mining operations were halted in 1958.

It was originally named “Einstein Silver Mine” and in 1879 a post office was established and called Einstein Silver Mines and in 1892 the name was changed to Silver Mine.  The town was named after a silver mine located nearby.  In 1955 the post office was closed.

The photograph is of the walking bridge that spans Turkey Creek. It is in Turkey Creek Day Use area.

I have been gone for a while. My wife and I volunteered at Silver Mines as campground hosts. Internet service was minimal to nonexistent. We were there for 8 months. I am going to do some blogs about our adventure and share my photographs. This was an introduction of how Silver Mines came about. More to come.

Silver Mines Recreation Area has an abundance of wildlife and beautiful landscapes. I hope I don’t bore you with the photos.

March in Review

/ doubledacres / 11 Comments

I took a job as a camp cohost in Silver Mines Recreation Area, near Fredeicktown, Missouri. The following are pictures I took in March. We were almost flooded out at one point.

We are ready for some dry weather for a bit. It got close but we didn’t have to move.

In Memory of Kate and Eros

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“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”

Will Roger’s

Some people may not understand how someone could make this statement, but to those of us who have experienced the unconditional love of a dog can understand what he is saying. I consider my dogs family members. They are just pets you say. They grieve, get depressed, and feel pain and happiness just like humans.

Call me crazy if you like, but you won’t find a better listener and they lift us up when we are down. Maybe I am getting senile, but I agree with Will Rogers.

In November of 2019 and January of 2020, I lost two of my best friends to cancer. I miss them dearly. I write this in memory of Eros and Kate.

Caledonia, MO

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“The houses, streetscapes, and landscapes they constructed remain, in great measure unchanged, from the nineteenth century.”

Thomas Flanders in preparation for National Registry listing, 1992

Caledonia, Missouri, can be found in the Bellevue Valley in Washington County. A large part of this small town, 25 buildings, was declared a National Historic District. It is home to Tyro Masonic Lodge who holds the title of being the oldest continuously operating lodge in the state. The Craighead House has the pleasure of being the oldest house in the village still standing. The 2010 census reported a population of 130. The town was founded in 1819 by a Scotsman named Alexander Craighead and he named it Caledonia, Latin for Scotland.

Several shops and boutiques can be found in Caledonia. Brushed, Caledonia Vintage and Gifts, Katie’s Place, Old Village Mercantile and Miss Molly’s Shabby Chic are a few of the businesses operating in town. Once you have taken a tour around town and if you love the outdoors there are many attractions that can be found near Caledonia. Whatever your desire, hiking, swimming, fishing or just exploring, you won’t have a problem finding a place to accommodate you. To name a few, Hughes Mountain Natural Area, Buford Mountain Conservation Area, Elephant Rocks State Park, Johnson Shut-Ins, or Taum Sauk Mountain, highest point in Missouri. One item I found interesting was that 20 years ago, the town was abandoned, and the buildings were empty. Apparently, the town is made up of some very determined citizens. They hold many events over the year. Their most known event is the Pumpkin Fest. You can find out more by visiting http://www.caledoniamo.org and look at their calendar.

I am lucky enough to live 2 miles from Caledonia. I love visiting the quaint little town. There are so many things to do you won’t be bored.

Remember to be kind to one another and to spread the love.

True Story!!!

/ doubledacres / 15 Comments

You just can’t make this stuff up. The above skeleton was placed in the water a day before a Halloween party. Folks walk on the bridge at night and shine flashlights into the water. It is made out of concrete and looks nothing like a skeleton. The party went on and was a success. No one tried jumping into the water to safe the skeleton.

Well, it all started a couple days after the party. One afternoon the Madison County Sheriff showed up. She had also brought the coroner. She explained to us what they were there for. They are looking for a dead body. It seems while the mock skeleton was in the water someone walked upon the bridge, saw the head and hands, so immediately took a picture. They then posted the photo on FB, where someone circled the skeleton and said they needed to contact authorities immediately.

Meanwhile three days have transpired from the time the picture was taken to contacting the authorities. Problem number one, someone had already stolen the head. Then problem number 2, there was heavy rain that caused the river to rise, and you couldn’t see the hands. They got someone to wade in and look for the hands. “Mission Accomplished.” They were now in possession of two concrete hands, remember someone had already stolen the head.

Before they left, we had great conversation and the case of the dead body, had been solved. All of this over something that looked nothing like a real skeleton, or so I thought, but someone thought differently. As far as the case of the missing head, it still has not been found.

Thanks for reading. Be kind to one another and spread the love!

Snow: You Either Hate It or Love It

/ doubledacres / 10 Comments

I happen to be one who loves the snow; however, the snow fall here in southeast Missouri doesn’t stay around real long. If I had to deal with it all winter long, like those in the deep north, I may be on the other side of the fence. Even if you are a hater of snow, you have to admit; it is quite beautiful.

NOTICE: All pictures are the property of Double D Acres LLC and cannot be used, reproduced or copied without written permission from Double D Acres LLC.