Unlike the many pop-ulated hamlets that dot the Ozarks countryside, the old mining town of Rush is a true ghost town. Located 16 miles south of Yellville, AR near the banks of the Buffalo River, the remains of Rush are uniquely protected and documented in the Buffalo National River Historic District.

The remains of one of Rush’s mercantile buildings (present-day photos by Ken Weyand)

Rush (named for its proximity to Rush Creek, a tributary of the nearby Buffalo River) blossomed in the late 1800s as prospectors, searching for fabled Indian silver mines, instead found zinc. In 1886, thinking they had found silver-bearing ore, the prospectors built a smelter and started digging.

According to a 1911 account by Otto Ruhl in the Mining and Engineering Journal, “They built a rock furnace, charged it with charcoal, put in their ore, and started the blast. (But) from the opening in the bottom no silver came, but the prettiest rainbows imaginable floated over the stack of their blast.”

One of the residences still standing on the outskirts of Rush

Broke and discouraged, they reportedly tried to sell their claim to another prospector for a can of oysters, but he turned them down. Eventually the claim was sold to George Chase, whose Morning Star Mine became the first of 15 mines in the town.

In fact, the Morning Star is said to have been one of the largest producers of zinc in Arkansas. A miner extracted a single mass of pure Smithsonite, or zinc carbonate, that weighed nearly 13,000 pounds. The colossal nugget received blue ribbons at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, and is currently on display at the Field Museum. Another large nugget was said to have won a blue ribbon at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair.

In addition to the white zinc oxide cream used today to ward off sunburn, zinc is used in many alloys, including brass. Early Romans and Greeks used zinc in brass-making and in health potions. The demand for zinc reached a peak during World War I, when munitions factories kept mines busy and their owners wealthy.

Old smelter, where the first miners discovered their search for silver yielded zinc

In Arkansas, the boom in zinc prices drew miners to Rush, swelling the town’s population to an estimated 5,000. As early as 1900, the town was bustling with three hotels, several restaurants and general stores, and other businesses. Houses couldn’t be built fast enough; eager miners and their families put up tents on the surrounding hills. Nearly everyone in a family could find work, including young boys who could be “water boys.” Pay averaged 19 to 35 cents an hour.

According to Bill Dwayne Blevins, writing in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, Rush attracted a wide variety of prospectors, all hoping for quick riches. Merchants and land speculators followed. Not all of the newcomers were upstanding citizens. “A few prospectors coming to the area were striving to get as far from the law as possible,” Blevins wrote.

“In 1916, documents were filed incorporating Rush into a city,” Blevins stated. “Rush was recognized as the most prosperous city per capita in Arkansas.”

According to the Historic District, one of the first buildings built by the Morning Star Mining Company was a livery barn for the working horses and mules. Since roads were scarce and the Buffalo River was too shallow for barges, teamsters would haul the ore in wagons over rough trails east to Buffalo City. From there it was barged on the White River to railheads. On the return trip they would bring back supplies for Rush residents. By the early 1900s, railroads reached Yellville and Buffalo City, making shipments easier.

Miners in early 1900s rest in their tent in the hills above Rush. (National Park Service)

A ghost town is born

When the Great War ended Nov. 11, 1918, the price of zinc collapsed, and Rush quickly declined. One after another, the mines closed. According to the National Park Service, a mining revival was attempted in the 1920s but was unsuccessful. A few residents stayed on into the mid-1950s, some of them making a meager living by “free-ore-ing” abandoned mines. But the Post Office closed, and the remaining settlers gradually left, making Rush a true ghost town. In 1972, Rush became part of the Buffalo River National River Heritage District. In 1987, the District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today visitors can see the remains of residential buildings, a mercantile building and a few foundations as they drive through the district. Boaters can access the Buffalo River, located a few hundred yards beyond the old town.

Morning Star Hotel in its later years (National Park Service)

For those who pause to explore the ghost town, information markers show history, maps, and old photos. Although several mining districts once flourished in northern Arkansas, Rush is the only one that still has ruins, buildings, mine tailings and other structures to give visitors an idea how it would have appeared in its heyday.

In the 1980s, the mines were deemed unsafe with crumbling ceilings. Fences and gates were erected, and visitors are not permitted in the mines. However the gates were specially designed to allow a large bat population to come and go freely.

Much of Rush can be seen by road, and parking is available. Trails allow visitors to see more of the Heritage District, including the mines, although entering the ruined buildings and mines is prohibited.

The Rush Heritage District is located 16 miles south of Yellville, AR. Take AR 14 about 12 miles and turn left onto 6035. For more details call the National Park Service (Buffalo National River) at 870-365-2700, or download their brochure at Rushletter.pdf.

The Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site at 3616 Belleview in Kansas City, MO, looks as if the artist might walk in and resume working at any moment. The site, just west of Summit Street in the Roanoke neighborhood, preserves the house and studio where the artist spent most of his controversial career.

Detail from Archelous and Hercules, a 1947 mural for Harzfeld’s department store in Kansas City, donated to the Smithsonian when the store closed in the 1980s (courtesy Wikipedia)

In the early 1940s, shortly after he and his family moved in, Benton converted the carriage house into a studio, installing a large window on the north side for the best light. Coffee cans are full of brushes, and jars of paint appear ready to be applied to a stretched canvas.
On Jan. 19, 1975, Benton died while finishing a mural for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. He was 85.

Benton’s life and times

Benton was born April 15, 1889 in Neosho, MO. The family was already established in Missouri politics. Tom’s great-great-uncle, the “other” Thomas Hart Benton, was one of the state’s original senators. Tom’s father, a four-time U.S. Congressman, wanted his son to continue the family’s political heritage, and enrolled him in Western Military Academy in Alton, IL.

Benton in 1935 (photo by Carl Von Vechton, courtesy Wikipedia)

But Tom, a budding artist, rebelled. As a small child he gaped in awe at the great murals at the Library of Congress when the family lived in Washington, D.C., and he loved to draw. In 1906, he worked briefly as a cartoonist for the short-lived Joplin American newspaper.

Unlike his father, Tom’s mother supported her son’s creativity, and in 1907 she enrolled him in
the Chicago Art Institute. Two years later, with her support, he moved to Paris and enrolled in the Acad?mie Julian. In 1912 he moved to New York City to begin painting full time. He spent summer months painting at Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

Benton served in the U.S. Navy during World War I, and was put to work making illustrations of shipyard workers. He also worked as a “camofleur,” drawing camouflaged ships in Norfolk harbor. His artwork helped painters apply camouflage and later helped identify ships that were lost at sea. Returning to New York in 1920, Benton spurned modernism and embraced a naturalistic style now known as Regionalism. He became active in leftist politics, and his murals often included controversial subjects such as the Ku Klux Klan, which stirred criticism when Benton included them in a mural for the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago.

But Benton persevered, and in the mid-’30s his Regionalism style began to be recognized as a significant art movement. Still, he was at odds with many critics and “art elites” for his politics and “folksy style.” Tired of the controversy, Benton returned to Missouri, where he was commissioned to paint a mural for the State Capitol. Titled “A Social History of Missouri”, it is considered by many to be Benton’s best work.

Studio area puts visitors in Benton’s world (photo by Ken Weyand)

Benton in Kansas City

In 1935, Benton moved to Kansas City and began working as a teacher for the Kansas City Art Institute. Close to rural America, he painted farm scenes in his bold and colorful style, concentrating on farm families struggling to survive the Depression years.

During this period he created his most controversial painting, “Persephone”, featuring a reclining nude being ogled by a grizzled farmer. Benton called it allegorical; the Art Institute called it scandalous. Today, it is exhibited at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The painting began a rift with the Art Institute that came to a head in 1941 when Benton called art museums “a graveyard run by a pretty boy with delicate wrists and a swing to his gait.” It was the last straw for the Art Institute, and Benton was dismissed.

Benton continued to paint during World War II, creating a series of prints entitled “The Year of Peril,” depicting threats by fascism and Nazism that were widely distributed. He also produced several important murals, including “Lincoln” for Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, “Trading at Westport Landing” for The River Club in Kansas City, “Father Hennepin at Niagara Falls” for the Power Authority of the State of New York, “Joplin at the Turn of the Century” for Joplin, MO, and “Independence and Opening of the West” for the Truman Library in Independence.

The Benton house

Benton home, in KC’s Roanoke area (photo by Ken Weyand)

Katie Hastert, site interpreter, gave me a tour, beginning at Benton’s studio in the carriage house. The north window is the only light source; all other windows were covered. “Most items are just as they were,” she said, “except the easel is turned a bit, since it faced the north window when Benton painted. Visitors kept asking what was on it, so we turned it around.”

Katie Hastert, site interpreter, with original bar items, and 1922 self-portrait of Benton and his wife, Rita (photo by Ken Weyand)

Benton made sketches of his subjects before painting them, and examples are here. There is also a “maquette,” a three-dimensional clay model Benton made before starting work.

“Benton believed in common art for the common man,” Hastert said. “He considered murals the highest form of art, since ordinary people would see them. Otherwise, he preferred barrooms to galleries.”

Rooms in the main house remain as they were when the Bentons lived here, with Tom’s pipe on an ashtray, bourbon bottles in the bar, and hundreds of books in the large bookcases. All furnishings are original.

“The house was built in 1903,” Katie said. “It cost $38,500 to build. The Benton’s paid $6,000 for it in 1939.”

For hours and more info, call 816-931-5722 or visit https://mostateparks.com/park/thomas-hart-benton-home-and-studio-state-historic-site.

One of the most famous Oklahoma natives to influence American culture was Will Rogers.

Known as a “cowboy philosopher,” Rogers was hugely popular, entertaining radio audiences and newspaper readers in the 1920s and early 1930s with his insights about politics and life in general.

Will Rogers at the microphone in the 1930s (photos by Ken Weyand)

It can only be guessed what he would say about the current political situation in the U.S. However, he once said, “all politics is applesauce.” On another occasion: “Our constitution protects drunks, aliens, and U.S. senators.” He might have sympathized with voters in our recent election when he remarked, “I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.”

Will Rogers was born Nov. 4, 1879 on his parents’ ranch in Oologah, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. As a boy, Will worked with cattle, learning to rope and ride, and master other cowboy skills. He was even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for his ability to throw three lassos at once.

His schooling included a term at Kemper Military Academy in Boonville, MO, but ended at the 10th grade, when he dropped out “to become a cowboy,” according to his official biography. In 1902 he joined “Texas Jack’s Wild West Show,” then touring South Africa. Will called himself the “Cherokee Kid,” and performed roping tricks. He later toured Australia and New Zealand with the Wirth Brothers Circus. In 1904 he was back in the U.S., performing at Worlds Fairs in St. Louis and New York City.

Later, Will performed on Vaudeville circuits in the U.S., Canada and Europe. By 1917, he was on stage with the Ziegfeld Follies. By this time, however, he had put aside his lariat and roping tricks, opting instead to entertain his audience as a “cowboy humorist.”

Will’s acting career began in 1918 with his appearance in silent films. His popularity continued in the era of “talkies,” notably in They Had to See Paris (1929) and State Fair (1934). His acting career included 71 films and several Broadway productions.

Wiley Post and the “Winnie Mae,” that later crashed in Alaska

In addition to acting, Will wrote a syndicated newspaper column, producing more than 4,000 newspaper articles and six books. He also became a popular radio broadcaster.

Will became a world traveler, visiting many foreign countries as a reporter and columnist. It was on a traveling vacation with veteran pilot Wiley Post that Will took his last flight. He and Post were killed Aug. 15, 1935 when their float-equipped Lockheed Vega crashed shortly after takeoff on a flight from Point Barrow, Alaska. He was 55.

Originally buried in Los Angeles, Will was re-interred at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, OK. Also interred is his wife, Betty, their daughter, Mary, and sons Fred and Jimmy, along with Jimmy’s wife, Astrea, and their son, “Kem.”

Will Rogers birthplace, on the banks of Lake Oologah, north of Claremore

The Birthplace Ranch

Located on the east side of Lake Oologah, the Dog Iron Ranch, developed by Clem Rogers, Will’s father, originally consisted of 60,000 acres and was home to as many as 10,000 longhorn cattle. Will named the ranch after his cattle brand in 1899 when his father retired and left him in charge.

Most of the ranch was inundated in the 1950s by the construction of the lake, but 400 acres remains, including the original house, built in 1875, which was moved about a mile to its present site in the 1960s. A barn, typical of the period, was built by Amish carpenters in 1993.

Visitors can tour the house, and see the front bedroom where Will was born, plus other rooms, furnished with period items. The house is located on a hill with a beautiful view of the lake.

The barn is also open to visitors, who can see the resident animals. On my recent visit, two burros, a goat, and a peacock could be seen. Outside, behind a fence, three palomino horses seemed anxious to get attention, although a sign advises visitors not to pet or feed the horses, as they may bite.

The Dog Iron Ranch, located at 9501 E. 380 Road off Hwy. 169, is open daily to visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No admission is charged, but donations are welcome.

 

Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore

The Memorial Museum

Statue of Will Rogers in rotunda of museum

A 15-minute drive south of the Birthplace Ranch, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is located at 1720 W. Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore. Everything in the museum seems oversize and monumental, beginning with the statue of Will Rogers in the rotunda. The pedestal is inscribed with Rogers’ oft-quoted motto,

“I never met a man I didn’t like.”

A mural in another section depicts Will Rogers in various stages of his life. Other rooms introduce visitors to Rogers’ radio shows, with one area recreating the private office where he wrote many of his newspaper columns.

There is a theater where visitors can see Will Rogers’ movies. Nearby, a series of dioramas shows various stages of Rogers’ life, beginning with his childhood on the ranch and ending with a poignant scene in Point Barrow, Alaska, with the crash of the Lockheed Vega.

A large library contains hundreds of volumes relating to Will Rogers and other subjects, such as Indians, motion pictures, and area history. Adjacent areas offer workspace for researchers.

Outside, the tomb of Will Rogers and his family members are located in an expansive sunken garden. An equestrian statue can be seen to the south, with Will Rogers appropriately riding into the setting sun.

For hours, admission prices, and other details, visit www.willrogers.com/memorial-museum.