Clabaugh, E. R.

Clabaugh came to Galena Kansas when a boy with his parents, and he tells with delight about how he and his playmates dammed up the little creek between the main section of Galena and North Empire, now known as Galena Heights, and made a swimming pool. When this went dry they went to Spring River at the railroad crossing, where the hole was too deep for the divers to reach bottom. He watched the development of mining methods in the Tri-State district for the last 40 or 50 years, E. R. Clabaugh, veteran miner of Picher Oklahoma, relates some stories of the development. Five developments in hoisting methods have been developed during Mr. Clabaugh's experience with the mines. First was the old hand windless system, then came the hoister propelled by a yoke of oxen, next the horse propelled method, after this the steam method and now the hoister is operated by electric motor. Zinc was first discovered in Galena by a man name Cook in 1870, according to a report of a geological survey of Kansas published by the University of Kansas in 1904, and in the possession of Mr. Clabaugh. The survey had been made several years prior to publication in the volume. Little activity was shown in the Galena field until 1876, and it was not until the 1890's that several custom mills were erected. Mr. Clabaugh helped build the first mill with crusher and rollers. It had 20 hand jigs and was known as the Old Crow Mill situated in Hickory Flat now Main Street in Galena. In those days men known as chatters would buy the ore in the rough and have it milled themselves. There were no assayers. Mr. Claubaugh operated the first two sludge tables brought to the Galena field in 1896. They were owned by Emmons Brothers. He came to Picher Oklahoma during the early days of development and has resided in this field since.