Volume 7 , Issue 50

Cimarron County, Oklahoma Ghost Town - Mineral City...

Located in Cimarron County, Sec. 13, Twp. 4N, Rge. 1E, Cimarron Meridian, 5 1/2 miles north, 21 miles west of Boise City, was the community of Mineral (Mineral City). Mineral City, had a post office February 6, 1888 thru March 29, 1895; Mineral had a post office from March 29, 1895 thru February 11, 1911.
      Mineral, was located in the far western part of Cimarron County, was laid out as Mineral City in 1886 when two coal mines were opened. The beds of lignite were found in the top of the Purgatoire formation. Coal men from other areas advertised the quality of the coal as equal to that of eastern bituminous. Because the extent and general character of the coal beds could not be determined, it was impossible to trace them for any considerable distance, and the two mines failed. The mines were never worked commercially, and very little of their coal was used for local consumption.
      Mineral City was a boom town for only a short period. With the opening of the mines there was talk of extending a railroad into the area. There were two or three general stores, a saloon, and a blacksmith shop. The largest population attained was about seventy-five. With the closing of the mines, most of the people moved.
      One of the stores moved a short distance southward to a more accessible location and continued to operate. The name was shortened from "Mineral City" to "Mineral." A post office was loacted at the store, a rock school building was constructed, and for a brief period a U.S. land office was located in the town. Church activities, held in the schoolhouse, and community socials drew crowds from homes and ranches fifty miles away. By 1910 the population of Mineral had decreased to ten, and soon thereafter the store and post office closed. What remains of Mineral today? Send us your recent and old photographs of this ghost town and others in your area. Thanks!   |  View or Add Comments (3 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---