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ST. JOSEPH LEAD COMPANY MINE
UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS AT CHUTE NO. 1139
BONNE TERRE, ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
(Circa, 1917)

[Click HERE for enlarged view]

The above photo taken in 1917 depicts underground operations at Chute No. 1139 near the original Pen Diggings shaft at Bonne Terre.  At the top of the photo, an ore car would dump ore into the chute which carried it to a storage bin and from there it would be loaded into cars as shown at the bottom of the photo. Compressed air locomotives were in use then as is shown.  The above operation was abandoned about 1925.  The above photo which was taken by Grant Thompson of Bonne Terre was contributed to our site by Patricia (Rickmar) Young
in memory of her father, the late John W. Rickmar.   If you look very close at the top of the photo you can see a mining mule.  Her name was Tobacco Jennie.   It was told that she chewed tobacco and was taught to do so by the late Mine Captain "Cap" Campbell.  She supposedly insisted on a chew each shift, otherwise she displayed little interest in working.  

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