Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: William J. Toman
Taken: September 5, 2010
Caption: Smelter-House Description
Additional Description: You are inside a reproduction of the original smelter-house that stood on this site from about 1833-1861.

Lead from the mines of southwest Wisconsin was brought here in ox-drawn wagons and melted in an iron kettle in the open fire place.

The molten lead was then poured through holes in the side of a ladle, down the 180 ft. shaft. As the particles of lead fell, they assumed a spherical shape and cooled slightly, forming shot.

A pool of water at the bottom of the shaft broke the fall of the shot and completed its cooling.
Submitted: September 6, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.
Database Locator Identification Number: p126273
File Size: 3.679 Megabytes

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