Valles Mines, Missouri, U S A
Founded in 1749 by Francois Valle in the French Upper Louisiana before Lewis and Clark. 275 years later the Valle Mining Company's 4000+ acre property every year absorbs
21,000 tons of carbon dioxide and generates
14,000 tons of oxygen, enough to meet the needs of 63,000 people. [USDA Forest Facts]
The Furnace Tender's Cabin - 14103 Valles Mines School Road
The house he lived in
The smelter chimney
The Last Furnace Tended
"Last Furnace Tended" Ruins Discovered
The ruins of the last furnace was discovered in 2021 on site by Adam Marty, Coauthor of
Missouri Mining History", under tons of soil near the chimney. Awaiting restoration 2024.
Last 'habitants' of the Cabin
Former residents Ed and Verna Skiles
as I knew them
In the early 1970's when I lived across the street, Verna and Ed Skiles (pictured) told how they grew up in the
valley during the Depression. While children of different families, their families grew buckwheat and the kids picked
blackberries to sell in town to buy milk. Fifty years later they met again and married.
While they lived in the Furnace Tender's Cabin they taught us how to live off the land. Ronnie patiently taught us
city folks important skills like cutting and splitting firewood. Verna's wildflower pressings can be found on
Exhibit Wall A in the Lost History Museum.
MORE...
How their granddaughters Cindy Marler and Kay Williams remembered them.