Change and Renewal

Change and Renewal. Buffalo National River. , The trail back to the parking lot crosses old mining waste rock now covered with plants and trees. An old Morning Star mill smokestack, like the one in this 1915 photograph, lies on the ground nearby. With the close of the mine and mill in 1931, the company village slowly vanished, and by the 1960s people referred to Rush as a ghost town. The story of Rush now lives on in the recollections of those who lived and worked here. The scattered ruins throughout the valley remind us of the exciting times when Rush and the Morning Star were part of a national expansion in zinc mining., Today Rush is a historic district protected by the National Park Service. Recreation replaced mining in the ever-changing story of Rush, and plants are overtaking the once-bustling community sites. The people of Rush are now curious visitors and dedicated caretakers.,

The biggest change is how (plant life has] grown up.... It doesn't look like it used to.... Used to be you could see everywhere. , Bessie Kastning, Rush resident