Photographs of Remediated Smelters

The discovery of "blackjack" (a kind of zinc ore) in Galena, Kansas, in 1870 marked the beginning of a century of lead and zinc mining in the southeastern part of Kansas known as the Tri-State Mining District. The Tri-State area was one of the world's largest producers of lead and zinc for more than 100 years. Historically, lead and zinc ores were mined, crushed, and transported to smelters throughout the area to be processed into metal ingots.

A smelter is an operation where ores from the mines are sent through high temperature furnaces where elemental metals such as lead and zinc are extracted. It is common to find heavy metal contamination in soils, ground water, and surface water surrounding smelter sites. This contamination comes from fumes that escaped furnace smokestacks, the production process, and the slag (waste) piles.

• Former Nicholson Zinc Smelting company
• A Short History of the Zinc Smelting Industry in Kansas (.pdf)