At Home: 1700: Ollivier Daniel - Who worked in the lead mines?

Who worked in the lead mines?

Mining was very difficult work. French engagés and farmers would work in the lead mines only if they received high wages. Farmers and engagés came to the mines in April, after the crops of corn and wheat had been planted. They left in October when it was time to harvest.

Lead mines that made their owners rich depended on slave labor. Captured in Africa, slaves were brought to the American Continent to work for those who bought them. According to the 1726 census, Philippe Renault, owner of the lead mine "La Motte," had 20 slaves. These men would have been forced to do the most back-breaking work in the mines.

What were the lead mines?

Mining

When the French first came to Illinois, they hoped to find precious metals--gold and silver--in the bedrock. Looking for traces of gold, they explored the creeks and streams feeding the great rivers. Instead they found lead. Although not as precious as gold, lead was an important metal for making bullets. It was shipped south to New Orleans and north to Canada by waterway. Across the Mississippi from Fort de Chartres was the mine "La Motte," established in 1723 by Philippe Renault.