The Artesian Well and the 6 Deep Drill Holes
Deep Drill #1
1914: The Valle Mining Company decides to prospect for lead ore deeper down than its surface mines,
hundreds of feet deep down into the Bonne Terre Formation. The question: "Does the Viburnum Trend lead
reach this far north in the Lead Belt?" A steam-powered diamond core drill at the time was the only way
to go. At first, the day proved nothing. Over and over, the decision came down. "We'll go deeper!" 100,
200 400, 800 feet deep they drilled, still nothing. Then came that sound... The sound of water!
At 840 feet they struck an underground artesian river. What was once a dry drill hole transformed into a river.
Water came gushing out at 75 gallons per minute, enough to fill a modern day drywall bucket in 4 seconds.
50 years later the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources traced the source
of the water 200 miles back to an underground river in Arkansas. That river feeds this well
from deep within the aquafer. The Artesian Well flows today and people drive hundreds of miles, even
from Illinois, to fill their water jugs. The oldest man in town attributes his old age to the water,
drinking it every day. To see how pure it really is and what's in it, Click Here
Try the video
105+ years later, even during the worst drought, the well continues to produce. Nearby
wells recently have diminished its volume but the purity and rare flavor endures to this day. A great place for a
microbrewery if you know someone...
The 2 Mysteries of Drill Hole #2
Deep Drill #2 Not only did they strike water in Drill Hole #1 but a mile away by the Big Lode Mine
Drill Hole #2 struck 6 feet of lead. Although the largest
lead nugget at Valles Mines was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, this would be even bigger. No one ever
pursued this prospecting discovery and Drill Hole #2's exact location has been lost. However, based on old
maps and surveys, it is located about 100 feet south of the Frazier Quarry (formerly the Big Bill twin shafts)
towards the Big Lode Mine. The precise depth of the strike was never determined either. It remains a project for a metal
detector as the 10 foot tall iron casing that guided the drill remains in place waiting for its rediscovery.