Livingston County Tourist Commission will unveil its latest in a series of roadside historic markers this week in Burna.
A monument dedicated to the history of the community’s rich mining industry will be formally dedicated during a 2 p.m., service Friday, June 10 in front of the former Greyhound Station on Burna Church Road in Burna.
The monument recognizes the mining history of Livingston County from its fluorspar that provides a critical component of modern industry to limestone deposits that incubate fluorspar and other minerals.
The oldest Livingston County fluorspar mine, F.B. Moodie’s Royal Silver Mine, opened in 1860. It was worked for the Galena content, but fluorspar was recorded as the dominant mineral. By 1905, the United States Geological Survey showed 100 fluorspar prospects and mines in the county with shafts 100-750 feet into the earth. Fluorspar mining flourished throughout the mid-1940s, particularly during World War II.
Klondike Mine alone employed 500 people during the Great Depression, making it the largest employer in Livingston County.
The new monument will be the seventh in a trail series of Livingston County historical markers. The history trail offers visitors and residents an opportunity to explore the beauty of Livingston County as they connect to the stories of the past.
Livingston County Tourism Commission sponsors the trail. Future plans include additional historical monument sites throughout the community.
