St. John's Mine and Lead Furnace

Lead was first discovered here in Wisconsin in 1690 when Nicholas Perrot, early French explorer and commandant of the Northwest Territory, was shown the precious metal in Snake Cave by the native American Indians. It may be the oldest lead mine in the U. S. Indians chipped out the lead crystals protruding through the onyx-covered cave walls and used them for decorative pieces and later for bartering with fur traders who made their own lead shot, Which saved them an annual trek to Quebec for their supply of European shot. Willis St. John profitably mined this cave from 1827 to 1848 when he sold it to Nelson Dewey (Wisconsin's first state Governor) and Henry L. Massey, his land speculating partner. The mine was opened as an official tourist attraction by Laverne C. Ihm in 1969 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1979. Harry Henderson re-opened it in 1985. Public tours are available. Directly across the street from the mine in the Snake Hollow Creekbed, Willis St. John established his first smelting furnace. It ran day and night as early as 1834 according to Butterfields's HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY. The heavy mineral (11 times the weight of water) was sent down a chute from the mouth of St. John Mine to the furnace across the road. Lead from the west end of the mine went to Rigsby Hollow furnace a mile west of here.