The 36th Annual Conference of the Mining History Association will be held May 28-31, 2026 in Pittsburg, Kansas. All conference activities will be held at the Crimson & Gold Ballroom inside the Overman Student Center on the campus of Pittsburg State University.

Mining was the dominant industry in Southeast Kansas, Southwest Missouri, and Northeast Oklahoma for more than 100 years. The region was a major producer of coal, lead, zinc, among other minerals. Pittsburg itself was a major lead and zinc smelting center for the Tri-State Mining District (MO, KS, OK) located just 30 miles to the south. Although mines have been closed for around 50 years, its influence is everywhere, even if may locals do not know the full mining history.

Many buildings in Downtown Pittsburg as well as Joplin, Missouri and Miami, Oklahoma were built during the heyday of the mining era. The mining and railroad industries led to the opening of a technical school that eventually became the Pittsburg State University. Thousands of acres of surface coal mines have been reclaimed and are now used for outdoor recreation. In the Tri-State District, Superfund cleanup work is still underway but extensive remains of mining can still be seen. There are eleven museums working to preserve artifacts and tell the stories of the region’s mining heritage. One of those museums is the world’s largest surviving electric shovel used in coal strip mining, Big Brutis.  It will be visited on one of the tours.

TRI-STATE LEAD, ZINC, AND COAL MINING HISTORY

THE TRI-STATE LEAD/ZINC MINING DISTRICT (MO, KS, OK) - A BRIEF HISTORY

The Tri-State District covers parts of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.  For more than a century it was one of the most important metal mining districts in the U.S.  CLICK HERE for a map of the district (1). Mining started in the vicinity of Joplin, MO, in 1848 along a mineralized belt extending from Oronogo, MO, through Webb City and Carterville, to Duenweg, MO, as well as in Joplin itself.  All these areas are in Jasper. County.  A second important mining area was in the vicinity of Granby, MO, in Newton and Lawrence, Counties.

Mining in the Kansas portion of the Tri-State started in the vicinity of Galena, KS, in Cherokee County, west of Joplin, after ore was discovered in 1876.  With the later discovery of the Picher Field, mining extended from Oklahoma into Kansas in the vicinity of Baxter Springs, KS and Treece, KS.  The Picher Field will be the focus of an all-day MHA conference field trip.

The Oklahoma portion of the Tri-State was the legendary Picher Field.  It was the largest and most productive part of the Tri-State District.  Mining started in 1891 near Peoria, OK, and in Commerce, OK in 1907. This was Indian land comprised of Indian allotments.  The allotees leased the mineral rights and received royalties for the ores produced.

Tri-State production peaked around 1925 but during both World Wars the District was an essential source of lead and zinc.  In 1968 (1), cumulative 1850-1964 production for the district was reported as 2,825,000 short tons of lead and 11,631,000 short tons of zinc valued in 1964 prices at over $4 Billion. At that time the price of lead was $0.16 per pound and zinc was $0.145 per pound.  The corresponding prices in November of 2025 were $0.9125 for lead and $1.3658 for zinc making today’s value over $36 billion.

Nearly all mining had stopped by 1974 due to declining ore grades, depletion of ore, and depressed metal prices.  As mining ceased and pumping stopped, the mines flooded.  Shallow mine workings and hundreds of mine shafts collapsed.  Gigantic mounds of chat (processing waste) dotted the landscape.  Acid mine drainage from metals leaching out of mine workings and the solid wastes caused pollution of local aquifers.  These problems caused the district to be declared the mega-Tar Creek Superfund site, consolidating 4 subsites:

-The Oronogo-Duenweg Mineral Belt [Missouri] Site, AKA the Joplin Field

-The Cherokee County, Kansas Site, AKA the Galena Field

-The Tar Creek [Oklahoma] Site, AKA the Picher Field, AKA the Miami-Picher District

-The Newton County, Missouri Mine Tailings Site

Two EPA Regional Offices shared jurisdiction, Region 6 in Tulsa covered the Oklahoma portions and Region 7 in St. Louis covered the Missouri and Kansas portions.  It took some time for the two Regions to adopt a unified approach to solving the environmental problems. EPA’s cleanup efforts are still underway after more than 30 years. The EPA Regions prepare periodic reports on their remedial progress at each part of the Superfund site.

(1) Brockie, Douglas C., Hare, Jr., Edward H., Dingess, Paul R., “Ore Deposits of the United States, 1933-1968,” Chapter 20, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), 1968, New York, New York.

WEIR-PITTSBURG COAL FIELD – A BRIEF MINING HISTORY

The heritage of Southeast Kansas is not like the rest of the state. It starts with stories of Native Americans and pioneers finding coal along streams. After the Civil War, the demand for coal from railroads and for home heating led to numerous boom towns along the Weir-Pittsburg Coal Field. But there were multiple challenges.

Deep shaft mining was deadly work and pay was low. When Winter ended, the need for coal decreased and the number of jobless increased. With no unemployment benefits or workers compensation if they were injured, many miners would turn to bootlegging. Most were European immigrants with generations of winemaking traditions. They just happened to live in a state where Prohibition would last 67 years. The area was a hotbed for worker rights and was home to the largest socialist newspaper in the nation. A 1921 protest by thousands of women made national headlines. A child of one of the organizers eventually became a congressman who fought for benefits for miners suffering from black lung.

Centrally located on the Weir-Pittsburg Coal Field and the largest community along the coal field, Pittsburg, was also a major lead and zinc smelting center for the Tri-State Mining District located just 30 miles to the south. Population around the coalfield peaked at around 95,000 in 1920, and steadily declined during the transition to surface mining. Surface mining came to an end in the mid 1970s.

The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Pittsburg Kansas Crossing will serve as our official conference hotel. The planning committee has established a room block with a room rate of $109 per night for May 27 through May 31. It includes a full breakfast. The location of the Hampton Inn is 1285 U.S. 69 HWY Pittsburg, Kansas 66762 USA. Click on the link for a map.  Phone number: 620-231-3100.

CLICK ON THE LINK to make reservations at Hampton Inn.