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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 174 MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County | Grant |
| City/Village | Potosi |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1700 |
|---|---|
| Additions | 1832 |
| Survey Date | 1976 |
| Historic Use | mining structure |
| Architectural Style | NA (unknown or not a building) |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Unknown |
| Architect | |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE SNAKE CAVE, THE MINE WAS FIRST WORKED BY INDIANS ABOUT THE TIME THE FRENCH TRADER NICOLAS PERROT ARRIVED IN THE AREA IN 1690. THE MINE WAS FIRST PURCHASED BY A YOUNG MINER, WILLIS ST JOHN, IN 1828 WHO SUCCESSFULLY RAN IT UNTIL 1848. THIS MINE ALONG WITH OTHERS IN THE LEAD DISTRICT PRODUCED MUCH OF THE COUNTRY'S LEAD FROM THE 1830S UNTIL THE EARLY 1870S. THE MINE CLOSED IN 1870. THE CONDITION OF THE MINE IS CONSIDERED TO BE GOOD. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: THE SNAKE CAVE IS THOUGHT BY MANY TO BE THE LEAD MINE THAT THE FRENCH EXPLORER, NICHOLAS PERROT, DISCOVERED IN 1690. IT IS ALSO LIKELY THAT PIERRE LeSEUR WORKED THIS MINE IN 1700 WHEN HE ASCENDED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WITH LICENSE TO DEVELOP LEAD AND COPPER MINES THAT HE HAD SEEN AND/OR LEARNED OF ON PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS. INDIANS, TOO, HAD PROBABLY KNOWN OF AND WORKED THE MINE SOMETIME PRIOR TO LeSEUR'S ARRIVAL AND IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY AND THE FRENCH CONTINUED TO WORK THE MINE THROUGH THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. IT IS THOUGHT, HOWEVER, THAT THESE EARLY MINERS MINED ONLY THE ORE THAT WAS READILY ACCESSIBLE. THE EXTENSIVE EXPLOITATION OF THE SNAKE CAVE VEINS REMAINED FOR THE AMERICANS. WILLIS ST. JOHN WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN TO EXPLOIT THE SNAKE CAVE LEAD DEPOSIT. ARRIVING IN THE GALENA LEAD DISTRICT IN 1825, ST. JOHN REMAINED IN THE AREA THROUGH THE WINNEBAGO UPRISING OF 1827 AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR OF 1832 IN WHICH HE FOUGHT. FOLLOWING THE WAR, HE AND ISAAC WHITAKER WENT TO THE SNAKE CAVE AND BEGAN MINING. THE STORY IS TOLD THAT WHEN ST. JOHN FIRST ENTERED THE CAVE HE FOUND AN ABUNDANCE OF RATTLESNAKES WHICH EVENTUALLY LED TO THE NAMING OF THE POTOSI VALLEY TO "SNAKE HOLLOW." SOON AFTER ST. JOHN BEGAN MINING, HE ENLARGED HIS OPERATION BY BUILDING A SMELTER IN THE RAVINE BELOW. THE SNAKE CAVE SOON PROVED TO BE A RICH DEPOSIT THAT MADE ST. JOHN'S FORTUNE AND ATTRACTED SCORES OF OTHERS TO THE POTOSI AREA. BY 1840 POTOSI WAS AN ESTABLISHED VILLAGE AND BY 1843 THE INTREPID MINER HAD TAKEN MORE THAN 250,000 POUNDS OF ORE FROM THE CAVE AND OPENED TWO MORE MINES IN THE VICINITY. BY 1848, A SERIES OF BUSINESS REVERSES FORCED ST. JOHN TO SELL HIS MINE TO NELSON DEWEY AND HENRY MASSEY, WHO OPERATED IT PROFITABLY FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS. BY 1870, HOWEVER, THE ORE WAS EXHAUSTED AND THE MINE CLOSED. THREE YEARS LATER DEWEY, FACING BANKRUPTCY, SOLD HIS SHARE TO MASSEY. IN 1969 LaVERNE IHM PURCHASED THE PROPERTY FROM THE MASSEY FAMILY. HISTORICAL STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: DISCOVERED AND EXPLOITED BY THE INDIANS AND THE FRENCH, THE ST. JOHN MINE IS AMONG THE VERY EARLIEST LEAD MINES IN WISCONSIN. DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY PERIOD OF AMERICAN LEAD MINING, THE ST. JOHN MINE WAS A RICH AND IMPORTANT MINE IN THE POTOSI AREA. ITS DEVELOPMENT BY WILLIS ST. JOHN CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VILLAGE OF POTOSI. (SEE BIB. REF. A). (NOTE: THE STAIRWAY TO THE MINE, THE ROAD, THE BADGER HUT, AND THE A-FRAME ORIENTATION CENTER ARE NOT OF HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE.) |
| Bibliographic References | . |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | St. John Mine |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Jun 04, 1979 |
| State Register Listing Date | |
| Contributing |
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume XIII, page 274
1895
Notes on Early Lead Mining in the Fever (or Galena) River Region, by Reuben Gold Thwaites, provides an overview of early mining activity beginning with Indian use of lead, followed by its exploitat...
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume XIII, page 273
1895
Notes on Early Lead Mining in the Fever (or Galena) River Region, by Reuben Gold Thwaites, provides an overview of early mining activity beginning with Indian use of lead, followed by its exploitat...
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume XIII, page 285
1895
Notes on Early Lead Mining in the Fever (or Galena) River Region, by Reuben Gold Thwaites, provides an overview of early mining activity beginning with Indian use of lead, followed by its exploitat...
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume XIII, page 275
1895
Notes on Early Lead Mining in the Fever (or Galena) River Region, by Reuben Gold Thwaites, provides an overview of early mining activity beginning with Indian use of lead, followed by its exploitat...
Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume XIII, page 288
1895
Notes on Early Lead Mining in the Fever (or Galena) River Region, by Reuben Gold Thwaites, provides an overview of early mining activity beginning with Indian use of lead, followed by its exploitat...
