Quicksilver Rush
Encyclopedia
The Quicksilver Rush was a mining rush for cinnabar
in southwest Arkansas
and the Ozarks, mostly in Pike
and Clark
counties, beginning around 1931, in the early days of the Great Depression
when people were desperate for jobs.
The mining
of cinnabar sparked a brief but immediate employment boom for the towns of Amity
, Murfreesboro
, and Graysonia
. The latter was at the end of being a booming
mill town
, and was in the process of closing its mills, with its population of over one thousand people now being unemployed. For a brief time, it appeared that the discovery of cinnabar would save that town.
The rush also caused an influx of around one thousand people not from the area, which increased the local economy in the way of supplies and whiskey sales. Miners rushed to lay claims for mining rights, mostly in a mountainous area about five miles south of Amity in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains
. Two companies, "Southwestern Quicksilver Company" and the "Arkansas Quicksilver Company", were the main employers. The rush was short-lived, but did provide employment in the area for almost a decade. With cinnabar being more readily available from other sources, the mines eventually closed, and by the beginning of World War II
all mining of any significance had ended, and by this time the rush itself had been over for a number of years.
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
in southwest Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and the Ozarks, mostly in Pike
Pike County, Arkansas
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 11,291. The county seat is Murfreesboro. Pike County is Arkansas's 25th county, formed on November 1, 1833, and named for Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak...
and Clark
Clark County, Arkansas
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,995. The county seat is Arkadelphia.The Arkadelphia Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Clark County.-Geography:...
counties, beginning around 1931, in the early days of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
when people were desperate for jobs.
The mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
of cinnabar sparked a brief but immediate employment boom for the towns of Amity
Amity, Arkansas
Amity is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 762 at the 2000 census. The city began on the Caddo River in the mid-19th century when William F. Browning and others, including Dr. A.B...
, Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Arkansas
Murfreesboro is a city in Pike County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,764 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, and Graysonia
Graysonia, Arkansas
Graysonia was once a boomtown in Clark County, Arkansas, United States, but has since become a ghost town. It is located on a dirt road in what is now known locally as "the middle of nowhere", halfway between Arkadelphia and Alpine. There are no populated communities in its vicinity and only a few...
. The latter was at the end of being a booming
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, and was in the process of closing its mills, with its population of over one thousand people now being unemployed. For a brief time, it appeared that the discovery of cinnabar would save that town.
The rush also caused an influx of around one thousand people not from the area, which increased the local economy in the way of supplies and whiskey sales. Miners rushed to lay claims for mining rights, mostly in a mountainous area about five miles south of Amity in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains
Ouachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The range's subterranean roots may extend as far as central Texas, or beyond it to the current location of the Marathon Uplift. Along with the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains form the U.S...
. Two companies, "Southwestern Quicksilver Company" and the "Arkansas Quicksilver Company", were the main employers. The rush was short-lived, but did provide employment in the area for almost a decade. With cinnabar being more readily available from other sources, the mines eventually closed, and by the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
all mining of any significance had ended, and by this time the rush itself had been over for a number of years.