Defending St. Louis from Attack Saves STL
The Colonial Days His Bride
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]
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The Old Church House

Church House The Methodist Churchhouse stood at the beginning of Valles Mines School Road until being burnt by arson in 1975. The foundation still remains as does its well and many people remember the acoustics of the building with its tall ceiling and windows.



Its congregation built it in sight of A.P. Rowe General Store and Post Office. Mrs. Pete Snyder, PostMistress of Valles Mines for 37 years, met her husband at a social the church held while serving up water from the Romance Spring, locally known for love at first sight. [The Lost History Museum is seeking volunteers to restore the Romance Spring. A must-visit location if you are single.]

"He was older and with someone else and I was busy and just looked up and then our eyes met. That was it - and there's a lot of folks around here who had an experience like we did."


Across the road the church faced a park which was destroyed in order to make room for an ore-processing plant for the war effort during World War II [See the Chat Pile]. Local people ran the mill. The War Department's goal was to reclaim 25% lead ore dumped as waste by mining as far back as 100 years, the hope being the recovery would be well worth it but it had to be shut down because the washer's waste discharge into the creek of bright orange mud flowing several miles downstream was unpopular compared to previous washing years ago into a catch basin with a dam that left two 10-acre fishing lakes.


The restoration of the ore washing site began 7 years ago and several hundred thousand tons of crushed rock has been removed. The trees of the former park thinned for the War Effort have grown back. IF YOU ARE TOURING AND NEED AN ADVENTURE, across the street a foot trail leads from behind the churchhouse 3/4 of a mile south along the highway to behind the Furnace Tender's Cabin to where it looks down on the Artesian Well and the Company Store.