Adventure and exploration in our fine state of Missouri is one of the many joys in my life. To find something that I never knew existed, right in my “backyard” is thrilling to me in a way that I can’t even explain.

Last month, we kicked off camping season with a trip to St Francois State Park in Bonne Terre, Missouri. We chose St Francois SP because the east side of Missouri is beautiful beyond measure and this particular state park was not so far off the beaten path that makes it difficult to drive to.

Unfortunately, weather in Missouri to this point has been a bit of a wash. Between the 48 snowstorms we had this winter, to the flooding now this spring, the weather hasn’t been something to write home to mom about. So, when I saw the forecast for our upcoming camping trip, I was bummed to see a good chance of more rain in the future. Luckily for us, the town of Bonne Terre has activities to make it through those rainy campground blues.

Since the Family Center wasn’t open early in the morning when we ventured into town, we opted for a tour of the Bonne Terre Mine. I’d only recently heard about this mine from other posts on Pinterest, and I’m surprised that there’s not more marketing to get the word out about this incredibly unique place.

There were very few people for the early tour on this particular dreary morning. We only waited a short time for the guide to start our mine tour, with about ten people total in our group. The guide started the tour giving information about the mine tools and machines sitting around the parking lot. Unfortunately, our tour guide was a terrible presenter and not only spoke way too softly but also spoke away from the crowd so there wasn’t much that I caught. Details of the mine are also difficult to find online, which is disappointing because I am really intrigued by this place.

Our might-as-well-be-mute guide walked us down the concrete slope that eventually opened up to the most spectacularly massive “cave” I have ever seen. Although it’s not truly a cave (obviously), this mine was in operation for nearly 100 years and therefore has the appearance of a really large cave, after having been mined for lead for that long. Three stories high and God only knows how long, this is the stuff that the mysterious side of Missouri is made of!

It’s difficult to imagine a whole town swarming this deep under the Earth’s surface. The tour guide did manage to speak loudly enough for me to hear that there is nearly a whole village on the bottom level of the mine. A post office and what not, that the miners used when they were at work. Over time, the mine slowly filled in with water, being so far in the ground, and now houses what they call a “million gallon lake” that has filled the entire lower level of the mine. In the 50’s, the price of lead dropped drastically and therefore “lead” to the closing of the mine (see what I did there??). When the mine closed it’s shafts, everything was left in place. Tools and mine carts and scaffolding throughout give the place a bit of a ghost town feel.

The blue, crystal-clear color of this lake is difficult to describe but I akin it the waters of the Caribbean. It is so clear that even in the deepest parts of the lake, you can still manage to see all the way to the bottom and the blue hues are so intensely blue, it looks like the lake has been artificially dyed. Scuba divers meandered up and down, in and out, diving on their own accord. The owners of the mine purchased the property because they are avid divers. I, for one, am not but can only imagine the beauty that is found in the depths of those mine crevices. For anyone who dives, this place should be a top priority!

I’m fascinated at the history of the mine and how it employed so many people for so long. I’m fascinated that there is a giant lead landfill that you cannot miss in town and how officials required a large portion of it to be removed but there’s still SO MUCH there. I’m fascinated that they have to pump one MILLION gallons of water out of the mine every single day to keep it from filling up any more than it already has. I’m fascinated that they also had to pump water out of the mine years and years ago but I would love to know the mechanism of being able to do so before our mechanical technology became what it is today. I would love to know so much more but the guide really gave us so little information. That was an incredibly disappointing part of the morning.

A pontoon boat ride is where the tour ends. What was supposed to be a quick-20-ish minute cruise around the million gallon lake, turned into our tour guide colliding into every stone wall we encountered and nearly wiping us all out when he came within feet of ramming the boat into a low-hanging electric line. My sweet husband, the knight-in-shining-armor that he is, managed to take some control and push the boat off the stone walls we kept running into, steered us away from the electric line and paddled the pontoon, with one lonely paddle, back to the boat dock. This trip was the most remarkably embarrassing tour I have ever managed to pay good money for. Eventually, the guides did mutter an apology and explained that they were having an issue with the steering mechanism.

To say the least, when our tour was done, we were done. Done with that place. Done with the tour guide. Done with the crappy boat tour. However, even with all that, I would still take another tour. That’s right. I would pay money all over again to take another tour. The mine is simply amazing. Fascinating in every sense of the word, to see this awesome display of human intervention in our Missouri landscape. Just a few pointers to the owners of the mine, hire some guides who have some knowledge of the history of the mine. And a voice. The tour guides should always have a voice.

Visit Bonne Terre Mine online here.