Ducktown, Tennessee
Ducktown, Tennessee, is a town located in the southeastern part of the state, known for its significant historical connection to copper mining that began in the late 19th century. Initially spurred by a gold rush in 1843, miners discovered copper instead, leading to the establishment of several mining companies by 1850. The surrounding Copper Basin became a key area for copper production, making Tennessee the sixth-largest copper-producing state in the U.S. by 1902. However, the mining operations had devastating environmental impacts, including the eradication of plant life and severe soil erosion, turning the region into what was described as the only desert east of the Mississippi River.
The mining process involved roasting copper ore, which released highly sulfuric smoke detrimental to the environment. This pollution issue prompted lawsuits and led to changes in mining practices over time. Copper extraction in Ducktown continued until 1986 when it became economically unviable due to competition from imported copper. In response to the environmental degradation, extensive reforestation efforts were initiated in the 1930s, with millions of trees planted over the decades. By the 1990s, some recovery of the landscape was observed, although opinions among residents differed on the necessity of preserving portions of the desert as a testament to the region's environmental history.
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Ducktown, Tennessee
IDENTIFICATION: Town in southeastern Tennessee
Copper mining operations that began in Ducktown, Tennessee, during the late nineteenth century led to the eradication of plant life and subsequent soil erosion in the region. The transformation of forestland into an artificial desert demonstrated the hazards of extracting natural resources without consideration for its effect on the surrounding area.
In 1843 a gold rush led prospectors to the southeastern corner of Tennessee, where, instead of gold, they found copper. This discovery led to the founding of several mining companies in 1850. The Copper Basin, an area of approximately 19,400 hectares (48,000 acres) surrounding the area where the city of Ducktown is located, was the only place in the eastern United States to produce significant amounts of copper, and by 1902 Tennessee was the sixth-largest copper-producing state in the nation.
After the copper ore was mined, it was put through a process called roasting to separate the copper from the rest of the ore, which included zinc, iron, and sulfur. Firewood was harvested from the surrounding forests and placed in heaps in roofed sheds with open sides. The ore was piled onto the heaps of firewood, which were then lit. These heaps, which covered vast areas of ground, were then allowed to roast for three months.
The arising from the ores during the roasting was highly sulfuric. In addition to hindering vision, the smoke contained sulfuric gas, sulfuric dust, and sulfuric acid that descended onto the earth. The extent of the was first acknowledged around 1895, when individual citizens filed lawsuits for damage to vegetation. The state of Georgia filed similar lawsuits in 1904 and 1905. The heap method was soon abandoned. Instead, raw ore was smelted in furnaces without being roasted first.
The ore-processing companies also built taller smokestacks to take advantage of higher air currents that would disperse the smoke, but that only spread the sulfuric vapors over a larger area. It was not until 1911 that the problem of sulfuric pollution was controlled to some extent by a process that captured the smoke for the valuable sulfuric acid that could be derived from it. By that time, the years of sulfuric pollution and systematic had turned the Ducktown area into the only desert east of the Mississippi River. Erosion washed away the topsoil, leaving a bare, rocky terrain that, at its greatest extent, covered about 130 square kilometers (50 square miles). Copper mining continued until 1986, when it became impossible for local producers to compete with the price of imported copper.
During the 1930s copper mining companies worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to reforest the area. More than fourteen million trees were planted over the next several decades, and grasses were also planted. Little resulted from the plantings until the 1970s, when improved methods of fertilization and soil churning increased the plants’ chances of survival. By the 1990s only about 405 hectares (1,000 acres) of land appeared to be bare, with large gullies and widely spaced trees. The restoration of the forest was not totally accepted by local residents, however, who believed that a small portion of the desert should be saved as an example of severe environmental degradation.
Bibliography
Attias, Chris. "History and Mapping of the Ducktown Desert." ArcGIS StoryMaps, 17 May 2023, storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4728d228352949668f8d09f7d37f17fd. Accessed 17 July 2024.
Pipkin, Bernard W., et al. Geology and the Environment. 5th ed. Belmont, Calif.: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2008.