National or State Registers Record
STH 133
National or State Register of Historic Places
| Historic Name: | St. John Mine |
|---|---|
| Reference Number: | 79000079 |
| Location (Address): | STH 133 |
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| County: | Grant |
| City/Village: | Potosi |
| Township: |
| St. John Mine Highway 133, Potosi, Grant County Native Americans worked the natural cave that became St. John's Mine before Wisconsin's Lead Rush. The mine received its name from Willis St. John, who was one of the first permanent settlers in the area and helped develop the mile deep mine. St. John began mining in the 1820s. His success in mining attracted others to the area in search of similar fortune and contributed to the growth of the local community. However, St. John's fortune crumbled with the failure of the bank that housed his capital and he was forced to sell the mine in 1848. By the year 1870, the mine was stripped of virtually all resources and was closed. In 1969 the land was purchased and turned into a museum. The site is currently closed. |
| Period of Significance: | 1700-1749 |
|---|---|
| Period of Significance: | 1825-1849 |
| Area of Significance: | Commerce |
| Area of Significance: | Exploration/Settlement |
| Area of Significance: | Industry |
| Applicable Criteria: | Event |
| Historic Use: | Landscape: Conservation Area |
| Historic Use: | Industry/Processing/Extraction: Extractive Facility |
| Resource Type: | Site |
| Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 06/04/1979 |
| Number of Contributing Buildings: | 0 |
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| Number of Contributing Sites: | 1 |
| Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
| Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
| Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 1 |
| Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
| Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
| National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |