Mine It, Mill It, Ship It

Mine It, Mill It, Ship It. . , People have been digging, processing and transporting fluorite (fluorspar) here since 1842. In the 1940s, Rosiclare and Hardin County led the U.S. in fluorite production and were known as "The Fluorite Capital of the World". , What is Fluorite? , A blue, purple, yellow, green or colorless mineral that tends to form crystals, often in cubes. It is the Illinois State Mineral., Why Does Fluorite Matter? , Fluorite is used in the production of numerous items and materials, including:, . Steel , . Glassware , . Ceramics , . Cookware , . Enamels , . Lubricants , . Aluminum , . Jewelry , . Fluoride , . Microscope and telescope lenses, The American Fluorite Museum sits atop the Rosiclare mine shaft at the historic site of the Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Co. mill. , Mining , . At times, more than 1,100 miners worked underground in the Rosiclare area. , . By 1900, local fluorite was being shipped around the world. , . During World War II, fluorite was so important that mines were guarded and the U.S. government built housing for 150 families involved in mining. , Mining companies operating in Rosiclare included the: , . Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Co. , . Fairview Mining Co. , . Hillside Mining Co. , . Blue Diggings Mining Co. , . Knight, Knight and Clark Mining Co. , . Ozark-Mahoning Mining Co. , Milling , In a mill, large chunks of rock (ore) are broken into smaller pieces by crushing or grinding.,

"The (mill) had a tram that ran from the mine down Main Street to the river carrying (ore) to the river and bringing back coal." , Katheryn Knight Hargan

, Shipping , The Ohio River is key to the transporting of fluorite, galena and other local minerals. , Local minerals have been transported around the nation and the world by wagons, trains, trucks and ships., The High Cost of Fluorite , At least 25 miners have died in local mines since 1915. This memorial pays tribute to all miners who have paid the ultimate price, and to seven miners who died tragically in 1971., Bill Long . Wayne Long . Jerry Jenkins . Orval Holbrook . James R. Lane . Randel (Jock) Belford . Gale Bates, April 12, 1971: Miner Bill Long entered the Barnett mine south of Rosiclare and did not come out. Bill's brother, Wayne, went in after him. He too succumbed to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. Five more miners died trying to rescue the Longs. The seven deaths devastated the close-knit community and led to mining safety reforms nation-wide.,

Men of the Heartland , Miners of our Earth , Beckoned to His Homeland , Men of family--Men of worth , Kathy Pippig Harris

, Rosiclare's annual Fluorspar Festival (first weekend in October) and the American Fluorite Museum celebrate fluorite's historic and continuing importance to the community.