Historic Murphysburg
First Major Lead Strike Marker at Landreth Park
A public marker near Joplin Creek commemorating the 1870 Moffet–Sergeant discovery shaft that accelerated Joplin’s mining boom.
At a Glance
- Address
- Landreth Park, 1001 Murphy Boulevard, Joplin, Missouri 64801
- Year Built
- 1870 discovery; commemorative marker
- Architectural Style
- Public historical marker
- Current Use
- Public park landmark and historical marker
- Public Access
- Open to public
- Preservation Status
- Marker only
- District / Designation
- Joplin Local Landmark
Story
This marker stands near Joplin Creek in Landreth Park, close to the place where Elliot R. Moffet and John B. Sergeant made the first major lead strike within the future city of Joplin. Their August 1870 discovery helped transform the creek valley from scattered settlements into a crowded mining camp.
Earlier lead discoveries had occurred in the region, but the Moffet–Sergeant shaft demonstrated the scale of the ore beneath the valley. After leasing land from John C. Cox, the partners dug near the creek and, after a final blast, exposed a substantial vein. Contemporary accounts reported that the shaft produced about $60,000 in lead. News traveled quickly; miners arrived, shafts multiplied, and smelters appeared along the valley.
The strike became a defining event in Joplin’s development. New camps grew on both sides of the creek: John C. Cox laid out Joplin City to the east, while Patrick Murphy developed Murphysburg to the west. After an unsuccessful first union, the rival communities permanently joined as Joplin in March 1873. The marker preserves the connection between Joplin’s modern cityscape and the buried mineral wealth that first drew thousands to the valley.