A TOUR OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA CIVIL WAR MINERAL-PRODUCING SITES IN MEMORY OF JOHN M. DENNISON

John Dennison was a great friend to me. We shared two major passions - Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and the American Civil War. John once acquired for me an 1882 map depicting the mineral resources in the Paleozoic rocks of southwestern Virginia; most of the mineral products had been important in the Civil War. The map was drawn by an ex-Confederate officer and geologist named Charles R. Boyd who was promoting the post-war economic development of Virginia. Today's presentation will be a tour of some of these mineral sites using the Boyd map in John's memory. We will focus on three places that made significant contributions to the Southern war effort - the Saltville salt works, the New River-Cripple Creek Iron District, and the Austinville lead mines. I like to think that somehow in spirit, John Dennison will be with us on this tour.