MAP AND LIST OF MINES
IN THE CHELTENHAM (DOGTOWN) AREA

The establishment of a settlement in Cheltenham (Dogtown)in the 19th century is essentially the story of mining and brick making. Those activities were not the absolute beginnings of this area's history as I've tried to make clear in other essays. However, it was the root of growth and stability and essentially defined the region from 1860 to 1900.

Dogtown is honey-combed with mines underneath the surface. Homes are built over the old mines throughout the neighborhood and as time goes on I hope to present better and better maps of the old mine sites. There have been occasional cave-ins and I'm searching for data on those as well.

Below is first a map of the mine sites. After the map is an interesting list of 25 mines which operated in the area we today call Dogtown. Actually I have been a bit generous in the geography here and have included a couple of mines that fall outside my general boundaries. (See essay on the boundaries of Dogtown). I opened the boundaries a bit since the mines were so completely central to the economy of this area in the mid 19th century until at beginnings of the 20th century. This chart, adapted from a published list:
Garstang, Mimi. UNDERGROUND COAL AND CLAY MINES IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Land Survey, 1987.
This map and lsit has fascinating data on mines, their locations, depths and so on.

Please note that I have used the numbering system from this long chart. The chart is for all the mines in the St. Louis area, a list numbering 95 known mines. Only the first 21 and then numbers 31, 32, 33 and 34 fall into my somewhat extended boundary line.

MAP OF THE MINES OF CHELTENHAM (DOGTOWN)

Note: The number refer to the list and details of each mine below. #7 is especially had to find on the map. It is about half way between #8 and #5. #33 is actually off the map, just a tiny bit west of #34.

A different map of the mines may be found at:

Map of mines of Dogtown from 1905

LIST OF MINES UPDATED NOVEMBER 4, 2000

THE MINES OF CHELTENHAM (DOGTOWN)
Id
Num.
Name Location Entry Depth Commodity
Thickness
Dates of
Mining
Mineral Comments
1. Chouteau Mine Along Berthold near Kingshighway Shaft 30 foot deep 2-4 foot Coal 1853
2. Hydraulic Press Brick # 3 At Manchester and River des Peres (just near present day Macklind) Shaft 75 foot deep 7 foot Clay 1896
3. A.C.Steuver Mine Macklind and Berthold Shaft 90 foot deep Unknown Clay 1909-11
4. Highlands Company Mine Macklind, Cairns, Oakland and Berthold Shaft 26-28 foot deep 2-4 foot Coal and maybe clay ????
5. Unknown name Macklind to the Arena and south to near Manchester Shaft 40 foot deep 2-6 foot Coal 1860s to late 1800s
6. David Jones Mine Forest Park beneath what are now portions of The St. Louis Zoo Shaft 25 foot 2-4 1/2 foot Coal Early 1900s Voids at 500-507 feet elevation
7. Unknown name Beneath Deaconess Hospital Slope Unknown Unknown Coal 1920s
8. Gittins Mine Between Clayton Ave. and Berthold, just west of Tamm Ave. Shaft 100 foot Unknown Clay 1914-1917 Controlled 26 acres and had three shafts
9. Highlands # 4 At Louisville, West Park, Kraft and Villa Slope and shaft Unknown 7 1/2 foot Clay 1937 Once owned by Pittsburg Plate Glass -- Clay division. 7 foot wide, 6 foot high entry tunnels.
10. Missouri Fire Brick Mine Kraft and Dale Shaft 44 foot deep Unknown Coal? and Clay Unknown
11. Grandview Fire Clay. Van Cleave mine Dale near Louisville Slope Unknown Unknown Clay 1909-1911
12 Missouri Fire Clay Mine Louisville, north of Dale Ave Shaft Unknown Unknown Clay mine 1911
13. "Diggings" "Dogtown" Area Shaft 10-20 foot deep 2-4 foot Coal Late 1800s Numerous small shafts to reach coal for domestic use. Many shafts in residential basements.
14. Roberts (Hiram) Mine Victoria, west of Hampton Shaft 75 foot deep Unknown Clay 1911
15. Henry and Hiram Roberts Mine Sulphur and Hampton Shaft 75 foot deep Unknown Clay 1909
16. Berreshelm's Mine Pierce and West Park Slope N.A. Unknown Clay Unknown
17. Mitchell's Mine Pierce and Victoria Shaft Unknown Unknown Clay Unknown
18. Jones Mine North of Manchester, Pierce, West Park and Sublette. West of Wrisburg Shaft 75 foot deep 9 foot Clay 1883 Possibly owned by Berresheim later
19. Evans and Howard #7 Mine. North pit Wrisburg between League, West Park, and Lilly, north of River des Peres Shaft 45 foot deep 1 foot and 11 Coal and clay 1896
20. Hydraulic Fire Clay Mine Sublette and Berthold Shaft Unknown Unknown Coal and clay Unknown
21. Evans and Howard Mine Howard Station on Mo. Pac. and Frisco Railroad. Shaft 50 foot deep Unknown Clay 1855
31. Evans and Howard #11 Mine The northwest corner of Manchester and Hampton Shaft 47 foot deep 6 to 8 foot thick Coal (?) Clay 1911
32. Cheltenham Clay Company Mine Forest and Mitchell Shaft Unknown Unknown Clay 1916 5 acres controlled
33. Gilker Fire Clay Mine The northwest corner of Manchester and McCausland. Immediately west of Matthieson and Hegler Drift 5 foot deep Unknown Clay 1896 Pillars robbed. 10-15 foot pillars. Entries 7 foot wide and 100 or 140 feet long
34. Matthieson and Hegker Mine Northwest corner of Forest and Manchester Drift 4 1/2 foot deep Unknown Clay 1863-1896 11 acres mined out by 1896
Extra 1. St. Louis World's Fair Beneath lawn of the World's Fair Pavilion Unknown Coal 1903-04 and ??

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Bob Corbett corbetre@webster.edu