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 Post subject: Lyon Mountain,NY iron mines
PostPosted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:40 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:26 pm
Posts: 2
Location: South western NY
Any info out there on the iron mining that took place there.As a kid in the fifties I remember the D&H running thru Danamora NY Hauling hoppers south from Lyon Mountain .


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:47 pm 
Don't know very much about them personally, but I found an interesting interview on NPR about accidents that occurred there.

I have read snippets of information about these mines before. I do know that they were quite important during WWII. I think that they deserve more research on our part.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/audio/news060106c.m3u


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:14 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:33 pm
Posts: 3080
Location: Above the Sterling Hill Mine
I agree we really need to do more research on the history of Lyon Mountain. From the research I have done in the area, it is very interesting and historical. I believe the Republic Steel buildings are still standing and there probably is much more to learn and document from the remains which are still present. I feel we should make a trip up that way after it warms up (there's probably snow there) and work something out with the local officials as the remains are owned by the community.

There are a few sites which focus on that area. One of the better sites I would recommend content wise would be:

http://bigelowsociety.com/slic/lyon1.htm


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:14 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:26 pm
Posts: 2
Location: South western NY
Thanks for the replies , Train70


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 Post subject: Some History of the Area
PostPosted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:51 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:18 pm
Posts: 49
Location: NJ
More in the link but here is some of the write up:
The first known record of the town is in 1823 when ore, practically phosphorus-free, was discovered by a trapper named George Collins.

Nothing more was done until 1868 when a business trio consisting of Messrs. Foote, Weed and Waldo made contact with Edmund Rogers, who owned the tract of land, to purchase four-fifths of his property. Much litigation followed between the four gentlemen. An agreement was finally forged in which Mr. Weed and a new player in the purchase game, a Mr. Williams, became the sole owners of the property today known as Lyon Mountain.

The pair formed a partnership which became known as the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Companies. Then, in the fall of 1873, the task of developing the land began in earnest.

At the time there was only one small clearing in the dense forest, with a few log shanties along what are now known as Mine and West Mine streets. The area needed a name so it was called Lyon Mountain after a former resident of the area, one Nathaniel Lyon.

Mr. Lyon had come to the area in 1803 from Vermont and settled at the base of the impressive mountain. He cleared a large farm in the area and lived there until he died around 1850. Records from St. Bernard's Church show that the hamlet was named Rogersfield after a Mr. Rogers. It was to later be renamed Lyon Mountain by Messrs. Weed and Williams.

In 1874, they expanded their property holding while more and more miners were making their way into the hamlet to support themselves and their families. The number of miners that year peaking around 150. This obviously meant that new houses had to be built throughout the community that then consisted of only 40 houses, a small wooden school and a single church.

The mining operation expanded in 1881 to include Lyon Mountain itself. It continued for 86 years under three companies. The once-thriving mining operations ceased for good in 1967, when the cost of getting the ore out of the long-tapped mines became just too expensive.

Probably no parent ever wanted his or her son to work in the mines of Lyon Mountain. It was especially hard work, cold, wet and dangerous. There were so many ways for miners to be killed or seriously injured -rock slides, falling down vertical shafts and mistakes handling dynamite -were among the most common.



http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Down ... /lyon.html


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 Post subject: Lyon Mountain
PostPosted: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 2:02 pm
Posts: 1
Hi. My name is Adam, and I'm a student of geography at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. I'm doing my senior thesis on the historical geography of Lyon Mountain, and would be happy to try to answer any questions one might have. Please feel free to contact me either on this site, or via my email address of adam12901@gmail.com

Have a good day.


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PostPosted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:53 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:33 pm
Posts: 3080
Location: Above the Sterling Hill Mine
I'd love to see anything have to say about Lyon Mountain. Once your thesis paper is complete, if you wanted to post it online, I am sure there will be a lot of visitors interested in reading about it.

Miner Greg


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