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The Mariscal Mine, also known as the Lindsey Mine and the Ellis Mine, was a source of
Located below the main mineshaft entrance in the side of Mariscal Mountain, the Mariscal Mine refining plant is now ruinous. Most of the mining machinery was sold and taken off the site in the 1940s and 1950s. A significant amount of mercury was recovered from the brick lining of the Scott furnace. The remaining structures are roofless and doorless. The chief remaining structures are the holding bins, furnace, condensing chambers and stack. A number of mine shafts exist in the area. Worker housing and other structures that formerly existed in the area have collapsed or disappeared. Structures and shafts are scattered over a considerable area. The historic district comprises .
The Mariscal Mine was listed on the
Mariscal Mine
at Big Bend National Park * {{National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Big Bend National Park Mines in Texas Mercury mines in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas 1900 establishments in Texas
cinnabar
Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and ...
ore that was refined at the Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
site into mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
. The mine is located in what is now Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...
. The mine produced a total of 1400 flasks of mercury, each weighing , accounting for almost a quarter of the mercury production in the United States between 1900 and 1943.
History
Brewster County, Texas
Brewster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in West Texas and its county seat (and only city) is Alpine. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region, and borders Mexico. Brewster County is the ...
is a source of cinnabar
Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and ...
ore, and the mineral was discovered in the Mariscal area in 1900 by rancher Martin Solis. The first mining was done by D.E. Lindsey, a U.S. Immigration inspector who refined the ore at Terlingua
Terlingua ( ) is a mining district and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas, as well as the Mexican state o ...
. Ellis sold his interest to Isaac Sanger of Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
in 1905, who operated the Texas Almaden Mining Company, but Sanger's operation was unable to survive. W.K. Ellis operated the Ellis Mine from 1917 to 1919, refining 894 flasks at the mine site. When mercury prices dropped at the end of World War I, Ellis sold to William Burcham in 1919. Burcham and backers from New York operated the Mariscal Mining Company from 1919 and expanded the refining operations at the mine using a Scott furnace before closing in 1923. A final attempt was made by the Vivianna Mining Company in 1942 with a rotary Gould furnace for refining, but it failed in 1944.
Miners were all Mexicans, with only three American employees. The miners built their own shelters from rocks and brush, building more substantial houses as time, money and materials permitted. These have fallen into ruin.
The concrete and stucco houses built by the Vivianna Mining Company in 1942-43 were probably never occupied. Miners and refinery workers suffered severe health problems as a result of exposure to mercury. Miners worked six days a week, earning from $1 to $1.50 per ten-hour shift, obtaining most of their needs through the company store at the site.
Description
Located below the main mineshaft entrance in the side of Mariscal Mountain, the Mariscal Mine refining plant is now ruinous. Most of the mining machinery was sold and taken off the site in the 1940s and 1950s. A significant amount of mercury was recovered from the brick lining of the Scott furnace. The remaining structures are roofless and doorless. The chief remaining structures are the holding bins, furnace, condensing chambers and stack. A number of mine shafts exist in the area. Worker housing and other structures that formerly existed in the area have collapsed or disappeared. Structures and shafts are scattered over a considerable area. The historic district comprises .
The Mariscal Mine was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on September 13, 1974.
See also
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Big Bend National Park
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Big Bend National Park.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Big Bend National Park, Brewst ...
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Brewster County, Texas
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Brewster County, Texas
This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Brewster County, Texas. There ...
References
External links
Mariscal Mine
at Big Bend National Park * {{National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Big Bend National Park Mines in Texas Mercury mines in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas 1900 establishments in Texas