Chalk Mine

Chalk Mine (HM1H73)

Location: Scotia, NE 68875 Greeley County
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Country: United States of America
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N 41° 26.495', W 98° 42.445'

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Inscription
The fertile North Loup Valley provided food and construction materials for the early settlers of this region. When they came here in 1872 they were greeted by Jack Swearengen, a trapper, guide, and government scout. He lived near here in a dugout in the white chalk bluffs that rise above the valley. The highest hill became known as "Happy Jack's Peak" and served as a lookout-point to guard against surprise Indian attacks.



The hills took on added importance in 1877 when Ed Wright began to mine the chalk. With stone cut from the bluffs, Wright completed construction of a general store in 1887. This building still stands in Scotia, two miles north of here. Other pioneer residents soon began using chalk in the foundations of their buildings.



The mine stood idle for a number of years. It was reopened in the 1930's by a paint company of Omaha. The chalk was used in a variety of ways, not only in paint and whitewash, but also in cement, polishes and chicken feed. These formations of calcarious rock, which can be seen throughout the North Loup Valley, were permanently preserved here in 1967 when the mine area was purchased by the Nebraska State Game and Parks Commission for use as a way-side park.
Details
HM NumberHM1H73
Series This marker is part of the Nebraska: Nebraska State Historical Society series
Tags
,
Marker Number144
Placed ByScotia Community Club; Nebraska State Historical Society.
By Joan Shurtliff, October 5, 2014
2. Chalk profile in road cut.The white layer in this road cut is Niobrara chalk. It is from the late Cretaceous Age.  Marker ConditionNo reports yet Date Added Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 at 7:58am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14T E 524441 N 4587820
Decimal Degrees41.44158333, -98.70741667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 26.495', W 98° 42.445'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 26' 29.7" N, 98° 42' 26.7" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)308
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 335-397 NE-11, Scotia NE 68875, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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