From the legend of Tunnel Bill to stories of Mina Harrison’s heroic service in World War II, Valles Mines is rich with history.

Steve Frazier has lived in Valles Mines his entire life. He is the fourth generation to serve as Superintendent of the Valle Mining Company and he is curator of The Old Town Valles Mines History Museum.

The Lost History Museum was built in 1749 when Francis Valle and his bride, Marie, were given the log cabin as a wedding present. One of their sons, John Baptiste Valle operated a lead mine from which it is thought The Valle Mining Company was formed. Another of their son’s houses is still on display as part of the Felix Valle State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve.

In spring and summer, groups as large as 200 have toured the museum on the weekend.

“They come from every corner of the country, mostly to look up their roots,” Frazier says. “This is the third oldest settlement in Missouri. A lot of people got their start here.”

A slave graveyard stands as a grim reminder of the past. Several families were slave owners, working them in their mines. The town was once home to two white schools and one black school. Once slaves were emancipated, many came to settle in Valles Mines and work the mines.

Artifacts from numerous mines are on display in one room. “Rockhounds” visit for the Geology Room, which holds exhibits of rock, mineral and diamond drill cores. Up an old set of stairs is the Military Room. Medal of Freedom award winner, Mina Harrison’s personal photos from when she was a Red Cross volunteer are on display and include photos from Holocaust sites. 

Frazier built replicas of various buildings, houses and schools that once stood, which are set up perfectly throughout the museum. Original ledger books are on display. Faces of the past line the walls. Antique dolls, chairs and books can be seen in every room.

Paranormal investigators are also attracted to Valles Mines.

“People have been chasing ghosts here long before my time,” Frazier says. “They read about us on the Internet, physics and paranormal investigators from all over come.”

The legend of Tunnel Bill is one of the many “ghost stories” that attract thrill seekers. In the late 1880s the railroad was built and a “boomtown” was created around a 240-foot-long tunnel that was blasted through the rock hillside. World War I ended and the demand for lead plummeted. Almost overnight the “boomtown” was abandoned.

William Heinrich, also known as Tunnel Bill had a gentlemen’s agreement with the mining company to stay behind and look over the tunnel. In exchange for free rent, Tunnel Bill chased children and would-be explorers away from open mines and dangerous shafts. Legend is that Tunnel Bill still takes his job seriously and chases people out more than a century later.

Other strange and unexplainable events have occurred over the years, even in the Lost History Museum, some say. Distorted faces have been seen in the upstairs window. Pictures have been found upside down or have fallen off the wall. On one Halloween night, 15 women complained of their hair being pulled in the museum.

Pictures tell the story. Frazier compiled a book titled “Ghosts, Spooks and Spirits, and Other Unexplained Phenomenon,” in which pictures of faces in the woods, orbs in photographs and murder newspaper articles are shown. The book is a collection of nearly 50 years of Frazier’s favorite hauntings and stories passed on from generation to generation. The book may be purchased at the museum.

On Saturday, the Lost History Museum will host a fundraiser. Beginning at 4 p.m., a walking tour of the old cemetery will be given. Tourists will be given a ride to the haunted railroad tunnel and, weather permitting, given the opportunity to tour Tunnel Bill’s tunnel for $5. Jefferson County Paranormal Society will reveal their investigations of Valles Mines.

Guests are asked to bring lawn chairs and old ghost pictures to share stories around the bonfire. No toddlers or infants. Psychics welcome. The Lost History Museum is located on Valles Mines School Road, just south of Route V, next to the US 67 exit at Valles Mines.

The mining company is privately owned by stock holders and four of the descendants of the Valle family. With 4,400 acres, 260 years of history both surround and haunt Valles Mines.

“The economy hurts us here as well as anywhere else,” Frazier explains.

Since it is privately owned, they are not eligible for any restoration grants. They rely only on donations from the community and recreational visitors.

Whether it be a bike trail, horseback riding or fishing Mina’s Lake, those fees are what keeps the heart of Valles Mines still beating.

In more than two centuries, little has changed on the 4,400 acres.

“As the superintendent, I face the same problems now as they did hundreds of years ago,” Frazier says.

Claim jumpers, or people who move property lines are still a problem.

“We have to make enough to at least pay taxes through our recreational activities,” Frazier says.

For more information about the history of Valles Mines or about any of the recreational activities visit www.VallesMines.com or call Frazier at 573-631-6875.



 

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