|
 During late
winter 2004, Fever River Research conducted an archaeological survey
for the National Park Service (NPS) of the abandoned town site of
Rush, Marion County, Arkansas and the related Morning Star mine and
mill complex. During the period 1885-1931, Rush was one of the
principal centers of zinc mining in Arkansas. The ruins of the
abandoned mining center have been incorporated within the Rush
Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1987. The district covers 1,316 acres of land
along the lower reaches of Rush and Clabber Creeks and an adjoining
section of the Buffalo River, and lies entirely within the
boundaries of Buffalo National River, a unit of the NPS. The
Morning Star Mines Survey Documentation Area—which is the focus of
this study—is located at the western (or upper) end of the Rush
Historic District and covers much of the property once owned or
utilized by the Morning Star Mining Company, one of the earliest and
most important mining companies in the region. It also includes the
best-preserved part of the historic district, having a number of
extant houses, a general store, blacksmith shop, and smelter, in
addition to the ruins of a large concentrating mill and other
structures. The project consisted of a pedestrian survey of the
study area and the documentation of all above grade cultural
resources through measured drawings, sketch maps, and GPS
coordinates. Information collected from the survey has assisted in
planning and improving the Morning Star Interpretive Trail, a key
component of which will be the installation of new wayside
exhibits. |
