Editing Sparta, New Jersey (section)

===Mining industry===

====Iron====
Robert Ogden settled in 1778 near the present town of [[Ogdensburg, New Jersey|Ogdensburg]] and built an iron forge, utilizing local ore from his Ogden Mine on Sparta Mountain. The Horseshoe mine was opened in 1772 by the Englishmen Spargo and Harvey who shipped ore by horse and mule to the forges at Sparta and Hopewell. It wasn't until 1868 that the [[Ogden Mine Railroad]] began operations and made it economical to ship zinc and iron ore to Nolan's Point on [[Lake Hopatcong]] where the [[Morris Canal]] had a marine terminal that could ship ore to [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]. In 1872, the [[New Jersey Midland Railroad]] (later known as the [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway|New York, Susquehanna & Western]]) extended to Ogdensburg and captured the zinc ore traffic.

In 1836, Henry Decker, along with Nelson Hunt and Lewis Sherman, began the manufacture of anchors at their forges in Sparta. Their success led to a small industry of forging anchors in Sparta, but by the end of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] the forge industry in Sparta had come to an end.

In 1889, [[Thomas Edison]] invested $3.5&nbsp;million in his [[Edison Ore-Milling Company]] to build iron operations on {{convert|2500|acre|km2}} of Sparta Mountain. Edison hoped to concentrate the mountain's vast quantities of low-grade ore and supply East Coast mills with raw material. At its peak Edison's operation employed 500 people, but after a 10-year effort he abandoned his attempt to compete with more economical ores from [[Minnesota]]'s [[Mesabi Range|Mesabi Iron Range]]. The availability of the cheap Minnesota ores put an end to iron mining in Sparta.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/20/archives/a-town-marks-its-ties-to-edison-invented-separator-for-ore.html "A Town Marks Its Ties to Edison; Invented Separator for Ore"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 20, 1979. Accessed October 25, 2018.</ref>

====Zinc====
In 1848 the [[New Jersey Zinc Company]] began operations at Sterling Hill. Earlier attempts to obtain iron from the mineral rich ore of the Sterling Hill failed because of manganese contamination, but zinc was recoverable and the ores at Sterling Hill were rich with it.<ref name=NYT1992>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/08/nyregion/zinc-mine-showcases-a-disappearing-world.html "Zinc Mine Showcases a Disappearing World"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 8, 1992. Accessed October 8, 2015. "In 1848, the process to extract zinc from ore was developed there.The mine was owned by the New Jersey Zinc Company, a subsidiary of Horshead Industries of New York City, until it shut for financial reasons in 1986."</ref>

In 1856 the Passaic Zinc Company started operations at the [[Sterling Hill Mine]] and constructed large ore crushers, shipping the ores to the company's plant in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]].

By 1868, both iron and zinc operations were in progress at Sterling Hill, but the numerous companies and claims were embroiled in continuous legal battles, the largest of which was a 12-year dispute between the [[New Jersey Zinc Company]] and the Franklin Iron Company over rights to mixed ores, each company having purchased the right to mine zinc and iron, respectively. In 1880, the Franklin Iron Company acquired the New Jersey Zinc Company's operations at Sterling Hill mine, ending the dispute. Large scale operations began in 1897 when the claims were consolidated under the New Jersey Zinc Company and by 1900 its mill was processing 1,500 tons of ore daily.

Zinc operations continued until 1986 when the Sterling Hill mine ceased operation. The Sterling Hill mine site is currently occupied by the [[Sterling Hill Mining Museum]] and is open to the public for tours.<ref name=NYT1992/>

====Limestone====
After closing his iron operations, Thomas Edison recouped his losses by opening a quarry called Limecrest near Sparta in 1919. The lime quarry fed Edison's [[Portland cement]] operations, and was in continuous operation under various owners for more than 80 years until it closed in 2003. During the years of its operation the limestone quarry was an important source of employment and tax revenue for Sparta. Limestone is no longer mined, but a limited amount of granite continues to be quarried by a handful of employees.<ref>Staff. [http://www.spartaindependent.com/article/20120926/NEWS01/120929932/Limecrest-Quarry-changes-hands "Limecrest Quarry changes hands"], ''The Sparta Independent'', September 26, 2012. Accessed October 8, 2015. "The quarry known as Limecrest, started by Thomas Edison more than 100 years ago, and subsequently operated by several different companies is now being run by the Braen Family."</ref>