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Madison County's development for a long time revolved around its mineral deposits. Besides lead (access to which would lead to some minor actions between [[Union]] and [[Confederate]] forces during the [[Civil War]]), veins of [[silver]], [[tungsten]], and [[wolframite]] have been discovered; mining for the latter two was especially important in the county during [[World War II]], when access to other deposits was cut off. Though most of the mining operations today are concentrated further north and west, with the last mine in the Fredericktown-Mine La Motte region closing in 1961, it continues to be an important element of the local economy.<ref>https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5140/pdf/Chapter1.pdf</ref>
Madison County's development for a long time revolved around its mineral deposits. Besides lead (access to which would lead to some minor actions between [[Union]] and [[Confederate]] forces during the [[Civil War]]), veins of [[silver]], [[tungsten]], and [[wolframite]] have been discovered; mining for the latter two was especially important in the county during [[World War II]], when access to other deposits was cut off. Though most of the mining operations today are concentrated further north and west, with the last mine in the Fredericktown-Mine La Motte region closing in 1961, it continues to be an important element of the local economy.<ref>https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5140/pdf/Chapter1.pdf</ref>
==Geography==
Madison County is located in southeastern Missouri, in the northeastern part of the Ozark Mountains. It is bordered on the north by St. Francois County, on the northeast by [[Perry County, Missouri|Perry County]], on the east by [[Bollinger County, Missouri|Bollinger County]], on the south by [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]], and on the west by [[Iron County, Missouri|Iron County]]. The total area is 497.6 square miles, including 494.39 of land and 3.21 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> The St. Francis River is the most significant waterway, with sizable tributaries including the Little St. Francis River and Marble and Saline Creeks.
The county is roughly in the shape of a square, with a few small irregularities. It is a part of the St. Francois Mountains that make up the eastern Ozarks and contain the state's highest peaks. Generally speaking, the western half is more mountainous, with multiple hills rising to over 1200 feet in height. Black Mountain, west of the St. Francis River near the Iron County line, is the highest peak in the county at 1,502 feet above sea level, and by some measurements actually has the largest difference in elevation from the base to the summit (about 962 feet) of any mountain in the state.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6578</ref>
The two main highways in the county are U.S. Route 67, running from north to south, and Missouri State Highway 72, running from west to east; both roads meet at Fredericktown.
Like the rest of the "Lead Belt," Madison County possesses a wide variety of mineral resources. Lead is the most common, but silver, [[zinc]], tungsten, [[titanium]] ore, and even small amounts of [[gold]] have been discovered and mined in the area. Most of these have been discovered in the northern half of the county, particularly in the Fredericktown-Mine La Motte area and along the St. Francis. Mount Devon, just southwest of Fredericktown, is home to the world's only known deposit of Devonite, a colorful [[igneous]] rock.<ref>https://www.topozone.com/map/?lat=37.5380555555556&lon=-90.3458333333333</ref>
==References==
==References==