Mining in Washington County, Missouri

Tiff Mining

In Missouri, "tiff" mining refers to the extraction of barite (barium sulfate ore), a heavy mineral historically used in oil drilling and now used in various applications. The last Missouri tiff mine closed in 1998, and the main mining area was located in Washington County. Other minor deposits were found in Southwestern Jefferson County, Franklin County, Jefferson County, St. Francois County, and Crawford County.

Tiff mining was a dangerous and laborious occupation because the mines were never timbered, and all mining was done by hand labor. Many miners and their families suffered from disorders of the nervous system - including blindness, caused by the lead that occurred naturally in the tiff deposits. Arthur Rothstein's 1939 photograph at left shows a former Washington County tiff miner, now blind, with son.¹

Arthur Rothstein documented countless mining communities, but the “tiff” miners he visited in Missouri experienced some of the most challenging conditions. They dug barite (barium sulfite crystals) by hand from crude, un-reinforced holes in the ground, typically 10-30 feet deep. On a good day a two-man crew might deliver a ton of ore, worth about four dollars, to the local refinery.¹ Another source indicated that Tiff sold for six dollars a ton. Out of this eighty cents went to the owner of the property and one dollar and fifty cents to the "hauler."²

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1.  Snapshots of History
2.  Library of Congress

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Mining Photographs

Click on image for larger photo.

Frank Nephew and Bruce Hartzell mining Tiff near Cadet, MO
Photo provided by Sharon Hartzell Smith

Frank Nephew is on the fifth row, fourth from the left with a tie
George Samuel Mills, husband of Lorena Leona (Portell), is on the fifth row, seventh from the left.
Photo provided by Sharon Hartzell Smith

A photo of employees of National Lead Company with 30 years service.
Photo provided by Sharon Hartzell Smith

Gus Z. Portell (left) and Pauley Boyer (right)
working their Tiff Mine in Washington County
Photos provided by Janet Olive. Copyright © Janet Olive. All rights reserved.

See also: Doomed to Life of Poverty Ozark Tiff Diggers Rebel, 1935
Photographs of Tiff Miners in Washington County, Missouri

 

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