Farmington, St. Francois County

You might not care about Farmington, far to the south in St. Francois County, but it is very important to the St. Louis region, actually lending its name to the official name for the combined census region according to the federal government. It also has an incredibly beautiful Beaux-Arts courthouse, which is not a standard…

Road Trip: Missouri Mines State Historic Site

There was a time when lead was a bit of a “wonder metal.” And conveniently for the economy of St. Louis throughout its history, southeast Missouri has been the epicenter of world lead mining. I ventured over to the old St. Joseph Mine in Park Hills and visited the Missouri State Mines Historic Site to…