Changes

During the late 19th and 20th century, the town's economy prospered, from the nearby mining operations as well as the attractions of the Arcadia Valley in which it was located. It was frequently used as a summer resort by arrivals from [[St. Louis]] and other distant cities, one of the only towns in southeast Missouri to claim such a status.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 296-97.</ref> The center of mining activity shifted elsewhere in subsequent decades, however, and Ironton's population has declined somewhat since the 1980s, though tourism, both for the natural scenery and for the Civil War sites, remains a mainstay of the local economy.

During the late 19th and 20th century, the town's economy prospered, from the nearby mining operations as well as the attractions of the Arcadia Valley in which it was located. It was frequently used as a summer resort by arrivals from [[St. Louis]] and other distant cities, one of the only towns in southeast Missouri to claim such a status.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 296-97.</ref> The center of mining activity shifted elsewhere in subsequent decades, however, and Ironton's population has declined somewhat since the 1980s, though tourism, both for the natural scenery and for the Civil War sites, remains a mainstay of the local economy.

==References==

==References==