This week on Retracing Our Roots, Sammy Raycraft and Vincent Anderson delve into the mining days of the Ozarks. Our first stop is Rush, Arkansas, where we uncover the story of this ghost town that once hosted 5,000 people and was famously known as a “tent city.” Newspapers outside the Ozarks referred to it as a “rag city” due to the prevalence of tents. Rush thrived as an economic boomtown until the demand for zinc plummeted after World War I.
Not only do we explore the unique aspects of mining in Rush, Arkansas, but we also highlight the stories of individuals who carved out their lives in the rugged hills of the Ozark Mountains.
Next, we uncover how Baxter County prospered during its mining boom, with 158 registered mines scattered across its rugged terrain. There were 20 out-of-state mining companies operating in Baxter. Remarkably, a 12-year-old boy could purchase two sticks of dynamite at a general store to transport to his father, who used it to blast new veins of zinc ore.
Mining activity wasn’t confined to northern Arkansas—it extended into southern Missouri as well. We mention the Alice Mine near Caulfield, Missouri, and highlight Wiley Baxter, a determined miner who managed to harvest gold in on the Missouri and Arkansas Stateline in Ozark County.
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