1850 IRON ORE MINES

of the

LACKAWANNA IRON & STEEL Co.

Scranton Pa.

October 2008 EXPEDITION

Planning for this expedition started last year, when I met several other researchers interested in gravity railroads, and old maps. We found something in common with the Lackawanna Ore Mines in that there was a lack of posted information on the ore mines, and the gravity railroad that connected the Iron Furnaces with the Ore Mines.

Some of the problems we faced were, setting a date and time to plan the trip, how to plan an approach remote area, and what time of year was best to make the trip, and when to go. We finally met one night at Terry’s Dinner in Moosic to plan the trip, and using all the research everyone brought we put together a plan ( some patrons were looking at us strangely, as the table was covered with maps and folders) . With the aid of several enlarged sections of a 1939 aerial map provided by PSU’s Pennpilot.org program, we marked the shortest and easiest route to the target area. Comparing this map to a recent Google Earth map of the same area, we found a trail that ran from the top of East Mt, to Ore Mine Rd.

We planned to come in from the end of Cherry St. hike across the barrens on top of the ridge line, head toward a ravine with a trail down the south face of East Mt., and intersect Ore Mine Rd. at a mid point. We could not follow a straight line off Cherry St. due to the steep cliffs we would have to descend.

With the weather getting colder, bear and deer seasons approaching, and leaves almost all gone, we decided to go now instead of waiting until spring.

Mother Nature, as usual, would have different plans for us as the

first snow fall of the season dumped about 6 inches of snow on East Mt.

We postponed the trip, and regrouped a few days later, only to find 4 inches of snow still on the mountain top. A quick trip around the area put us on the valley floor, and no snow!!

We parked our cars at the Lackawanna County Visitors Center building on Montage Rd, Moosic. From here we could follow the trolley tracks east, to the switch for the old Erie branch and found a way to cross Stafford Meadow Brook on the trestle to the point where the Erie rail bed had absorbed the gravity rail bed. Unfortunately, this is the long way.

The following notes and photos describe the rest of our trip to the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Iron Ore Mines, and its own Gravity Railroad.

This photo is looking east on the Erie branch after the switch on the main line that is still used by the Lackawanna Co. Trolley Museum, and before the trestle over Stafford Meadow Brook. Standing on the trestle and looking North toward I 81, the remains of several concrete foundations of the Erie’s Virginia station and out buildings are visible.

Also the switchback for the industrial spur that crosses Montage Rd. and goes under I 81 can be seen. The remains of the old Laurel Line are also visible.

The colored trees in the center of the photo are at the point where the construction of this Erie branch had cut through the grade of the gravity railroad bed. Here we climbed a short 25 foot hill on the right to reach the remains of the ore mine road bed. This location is about 100 yards west of the #11 mile post.

Just past the trestle, five sections of rail have been removed or stolen. The rail had been cut up with a torch.

This photo was taken standing on the edge of the bed, it is looking up grade from the spot we left the Erie. The rock cut on both sides of the bed is the first turn on the trip. The road bed here is unused, but worn down by time to the larger rock and ore trailings that constructed the bed.

A wrought iron 3 inch square heavy washer was found in this area. The roadbed is still in pristine condition and free of heavy vegetation.

The rock cut on the left can be followed in the opposite direction, holding it’s grade down to meet the grade of the Erie bed about 300 yards away. The same grade continues out of the Erie bed on its left side, and can be followed into south Scranton.

After the turn the grade cuts across the west face of East Mt. The bed is a single track, and the grade is constant, almost flat, making walking very easy. This area was above the station referred to on Erie maps as Virginia. There is a small pond below and to the right. There are some remains of coal trailings piles next to the pond. Stafford Meadow Brook runs through this valley.

On the opposite side of the valley are the Shops at Montage. To the left is the west end of East Mt. Here it consists of several rock outcroppings, and a steep slope of about 40 degrees. The area is a heavy forest.

Continuing along the west slope, and below #5 dam on the right we approach turn #2. The slope of East Mt. on the left is steeper and several large rock slides have fallen onto the railbed.

On the right the railbed is supported by stone gob walls. In the valley below is the west end of Ore Mine Rd. At some point it may have crossed Stafford Meadow Brook in this area.

The road bed continues to follow a very slight increase in grade, with a small rock cut up ahead. Here the forest thins out a little as more rock is found.

At this point, the LISGRR bed meets Ore Mine Road, coming up from the valley floor below the #5 dam. It is heavily used by ATV’s as evident by the wear on the bed. From here both the LISGRR and Ore Mine Rd. occupy the same bed as they continue around the west end of East Mt.

Below in the valley along Stafford Meadow Brook the remains of the old water pipes from the #5 dam are found, along with a small dam below the #5. This low structure contains a large shutoff valve assembly for the water pipes.

We are now coming into turn #3, above the upper end of #5 dam. Stafford Meadow Brook flows through #5 dam. This is across the lake from the bottom of Sno Mt. and is used as a source for making snow in the winter.

The bed is wide enough to handle 4X4 vehicles. The right side is supported by stone gob walls, with a steep slope on the left. The roadbed is actually banked going into the tight radius turn.

This stone wall is above #3 turn and is the typical type of stone work on both sides of the bed along the right of way. Most are well constructed using local stone, and are still in very good condition. This one was over 175 feet long and varied from 3 to 7 feet high. On the left side the rising mountain slope gives way to a series of stone ridges.

On the right is the valley floor, and Stafford Meadow Brook. This would be on the south face of East Mt. Notice the large 12 inch diameter tree growing on top of the stone wall, at the left edge of the picture.

Here we are coming out of the top of #4 turn on to a long straightaway. Note the large rock on the left side. It has a 2 inch wide drill hole through its center from the bottom. The rock was split at this point.

We found another rock over the right side of the wall with a similar drill hole in it.

Along this stretch of bed we found several rock slides that had damaged some of the stone walls.

The rock layers form the base of the bed in this area, it contain a great example of the yellow clay in which the iron ore was found. No doubt this yellow clay made it easy for the miners to follow the ore veins. Steve noted the ore vein may have diminished as it went farther into the mountain. This photo was taken looking straight down.

From this point the roadbed continues fairly straight climbing up the valley. The grade increased on this stretch. Farther up this stretch, there is a deep ravine with an access point to the top of the ridge. This is off to the left of the road and will be explored in the spring of 2009.

The largest intact structure on the LISGRR is this stone bridge. It is over 15 feet high and would be wide enough to hold 2 tracks, bearing very heavy loads. This may have been built during the construction of the Lake Scranton Dam, and in the process, destroyed the original iron ore bridge. This is across Stafford Meadow Brook, and is near the same compass heading, as is the end of Cherry St., on top of East Mt.

Had we been able to follow Cherry St. south, this is near the point we would have intersected Ore Mine Rd. No date was found on the bridge, but it is made of local stone and concrete. It will be here long after were gone.

We spotted several trout that were about 5 inches long in the stream pools that are above, under, and below the bridge.

At this point the LISGRR follows the creek to the left where Frank is walking, and Ore Mine Road turns south-east and goes off to the right across the valley and up to the right of the dam. On the left side of the road are several holes that may have been dug in an effort to locate the iron ore vein on the right side of the creek. These holes continue along the road for several hundred yards.

The right side will have to be surveyed to see if any mining took place in that area. The grade of the iron ore railbed remains constant along the right side of the creek.

As we followed along the right side of the creek, we found what looked like a wall on the left side. Closer inspection revealed it was a stone abutment. This was a bridge! The only remains of an original bridge crossing Stafford Meadow Brook on the iron ore mine gravity railroad!!

Crossing the creek, we searched the area directly above the bridge and found the rail bed continued up along the left side of the creek. Another short spur may have continued about 250 feet through the notch in the center and right of the big tree, on top of the wall. This ended in a long shallow trench about 6 feet deep and contained traces or iron ore. This area has not been disturbed for about 150 years, and will be surveyed later in the spring of 2009.

From here the going got very difficult, as we had to force our way through years of undisturbed thick pine forest growth. But, it was worth it. After fighting for 200 yards to keep on the railbed we spotted the end of the largest ore mine trailings pile off to our left.

The pile is about 250 feet long and 25 feet high, with one long pile and 2 short piles off to its sides. Two large trees of 14 inch diameter are growing on the top of the pile and can be seen in the left of the photo, on the dirt patch.

We found some holes around both sides of the piles which may have been early exploration digs for the iron ore vein. The pile is a mix of iron ore, gob, local stone, sand and gravel. The top had some evidence cross ties were once laid, but no track, spikes or plates were found. This is the left end of the above photo.

This photo shows the long trench above the main ore piles. Its bottom is even with the grade on the top of the ore trailings piles, and continues for over 400 feet. It varies from 10 to 4 feet wide and about 5 feet deep, ending in a hole 8 to 10 feet deep. I have to guess, as no one brought a tape measure. We couldn’t tell if it was a mine opening or if they were using open pit mining methods. The trench in places has some stone work in it.

The area is a heavy forest, but may have been an open area 150 years ago. We are located on the top of the fourth ridge down from the top of the mountain. We found some evidence of tree harvesting to the left of the picture.

The ore rail bed is located about 125 feet to the right, and did not connect to this area, as far as we could tell.

Back on the rail bed we continued up grade and found another group of trailings piles, this one, coming from a mine at the base of the mountain and extending out to the wall on the road bed.

This was the second largest trailings pile found, and the largest one coming out of a mine tunnel.

This section is above the large trailings pile area and in the middle of a heavy growth forest. The wall is about 3 feet high on both sides. We will be seeking the land owner’s permission to clear the bed of all the vegetation in the spring. This may make a great rails to trails, historical area preservation project, a great tie in with the Iron Furnace site, or Lake Scranton recreational area.

This is one of the mine openings we found, but we had little time to search a large area for more tunnels. The mine was caved in and had a small trailings pile leading to the rail bed.

The area above it comprises several rock ledges and boulders as large as a house.

Near the end of the track bed we found this stone foundation which is about 14 X 14 feet square. This area will need more exploration. It is almost in a direct line with the rail bed at its highest elevation, what it was used for may have been lost to time, and the forest.

All around the foundation are pits, holes, and trenches. It seem most of the ore may have come from this area. We found no rail bed to connect the large trailings pile with this upper area, but it could be easy to miss. The rail bed from the creek to the foundation needs to be cleared of growth to get a better picture of the area. This will have to wait for spring, and more help, as chain saws would be a must.

My thanks to Frank Dutton and Steve Chisarick for their expert help and great company on this trip.

2^ND EXPEDITION, OCTOBER 2008:

Our second trip went a lot easier. We started from the end of Elm St. and worked our way down over the three upper rock ledges, following some natural switchback paths, then turned west on top of the fourth ridge. This took us to the end of track and the stone building foundation area in about 20 minutes. While the climb down was a little rough, the time saved was worth it.

Here Carl and Frank started to search the area with metal detectors and examine the foundation, shown from a tree view and scout the area. I had to climb a pine tree for that shot. Mike and Frank continued on to GPS the railbed from here to the Erie junction at Virginia, taking more pictures as they completed a round trip.

The measurement of the foundation was 14 X 14 feet. The stone was of the type found in the area, or possibly gob brought out of the mine. The small stone on top of the wall contain iron ore, and were found on the outside of the foundation. We also found some metal scraps, cans, a 2 inch U bolt, and small caliber shell casings in the area. No metal was found inside the foundation.

The depth of the foundation was 8 inches above ground, and 4 inches below. Soil inside the foundation was like a glacier mix of sand and gravel that was different from the soil in the area outside the foundation. No concrete was used on the stone.

This is in the largest trench, looking north-east, it is near the foundation. It is about 8 feet deep, 25 feet wide and 200 feet long. Some sections had the remains of gob walls along its sides.

Near the upper end of the trench both sides had smaller trenches intersecting it. It may have been a loading point as the side trenches were only half the depth to the bottom of the main trench.

The stone foundation is about 50 feet behind the tree that fell across the trench. The black spot is where we cleared soil to see what the bottom was like.

This is the same trench looking south-west. The large black cleared area by the pick may be the iron ore bed. The metal detector produced solid hits on all of the bottom, sides and areas mounds, inside and outside the trench. Also large rocks like the one on the right of the photo had produced high readings with the metal detector.

This is a close up of the spot we uncovered in the above photo. The pick and compass are for size comparison. The rock while fractured can be picked apart in pieces and had a dark brown and black color. We didn’t determine the depth of the ore in this location, nor if it is an actual ore vein, or just packed fill for the railbed.

This will have to be determined with a future excavation on the spring trip. We found later that the railbed also continued past this trench on its right side about 20 feet away.

This plate was found by Mike Guzzi and Frank Dutton, at a point half way between the foundation, and the large trailings pile, along the right side the rail bed.

It may be the only remaining part from an actual iron ore car in existence, for the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Co.

After weeks of searching internet sites, and e-mail to a lot of historical places and museums, I still have not found any photos, drawings, or descriptions of what an LI&S ore car would have looked like.

Below are the measurements of the plate. If anyone can identify what it belonged to, please contact us at jasper933@comcast.net or info@oldforgecoalmine.com. We speculated that the part may have been an end plate where a large eye-bolt would have been used for chains to connect ore cars together for a trip.

The gravity rail bed, built up on stone measures an average of 9 feet across the top, located between the pick and metal detector. No cross ties were found. The wood would have rotted away long ago.

Note the large trees growing on the bed. In this area a lot of iron ore is used as fill on top of the bed. Even the gob walls on the sides contained iron ore.

Iron ore deposits like this are everywhere you dig. This location seemed to comprise smaller stone chips, sand and gravel. The metal detector had to be very precisely tuned to eliminate hits on the ore so we could continue searching for other metal objects.

In the spring we’ll excavate this location to determine the depth, and composition of the area.

This photo is one of the 12 tunnels we found going into the mountain, at the base of the third ridge. They were dug into the south face of East Mt. We also found about 10 of the mines had trailings piles extending out to the gravity rail bed. All were dug, and had trailings dispersed in a similar manor.

This is a close up of the ore inside one of the collapsed tunnels. The opening was about 5 feet high. The rock around it is heavily fractured. We have no way of telling if this was a natural cave in, or if the miners fired a shot to seal the tunnels. Future excavations may determine this.

More evidence of heavy drilling was found near one of the tunnels. This 3 to 5 ton rock has a 2 inch bore hole on it. It is one of only three found so far, along the entire length of the gravity iron ore mine railroad.

It indicates some type of mechanical drilling machines may have been used at the mines, or was the area later used as a quarry to supply stone for the Lake Scranton dam construction?? O’ jees, more research!

Another photo of an ore bearing rock, about 3 to 4 ton. This one was found 25 feet off the right side of the railbed near a tunnel.

It produced heavy hits on the metal detector and has dark shades of gray and brown in it.

Several trailings piles, like this one extend 80 to 120 feet, out from the mine entrances to the ore bed railroad. We don’t know if smaller ore cars brought the rock and ore out of the mines to dump into the ore cars on the railbed, or if some type of wheel barrows were used.

One of the best looking trailing piles will be selected for close examination on the next trip.

This is a section of the gravity rail bed is at the highest point on the line, and near the end. It is located east of the big trench and foundation. Here is where we found the most metal spikes and the strap rail. Steve Chisarick is sweeping the east side of the railbed for hits. The hits would be marked and later we would return to excavate the locations in a sectional grid pattern.

Here Carl Orechovsky holds one of the rail spikes he just uncovered after a previous hit on his metal detector, a White 2000, which is about 10 years old and borrowed from a friend, Janet Zimmer. Digging was difficult due to all the pine tree roots at the location.

This area produced the most artifacts, and it contained the least iron ore. It may have been a car storage, or run out track above the main mining area.

This photo is a view of the combined find for the 2^nd expedition. A 36 inch and 12 inch piece of strap rail, the larger still had a spike in it. An 11 inch X 1 inch end of a metal pounding bar, one end flared out. 9 spikes, 2 half broken spikes. 1 U bolt. 1 iron ore car part (we hope). Various tin cans, shell casings, lengths of small iron rod, and other iron scraps.

A view from the bottom of the third ledge, looking up toward the top of the East Mt., an estimated height of over 200 feet, with the upper ledge being the largest and a having a vertical cliff. This shot was taken facing north-west toward Cherry St. The area is a very heavy forest with large rock outcroppings.

Iron ore was found exposed on the flat stone ridge, near the top edge of the fourth ridge, east of the rail bed. The quarter is for size.

The stone comprising the ridge has been worn away by time and weather, leaving the black ore nodules exposed and sticking up like mushrooms.

A side view near the same location as the previous photo.

This photo was taken when we regrouped back at the stone foundation, at the conclusion of the trip. The 2008 expedition members are from left; Mike Guzzi, gravity and lost railroads historian, Steve Chisarick, our map and mineral expert, Frank Dutton, gravity railroad and local historian, and Carl Orechovsky, local coal mine historian.

By Carl Orechovsky, Old Forge Coal Mine Inc. 2008

End.