http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060228/NEWS03/602 280358/1019/NEWS03 Today's Journal News has an article that discusses the iron mines at Sterling, a topic brought up here in the past few weeks. List relevant material: ********************************************************************** Iron from Sterling, as well as other sources, was used in the lucrative Ramapo nail manufacturing business of the Pierson family, who were early settlers of the area and became industrial leaders. In 1865, the Sterling Mountain Railway Company built a six-mile spur from Sterling Lake to the Erie Railroad in order to transport its product more efficiently, said Ramapo historian Craig Long. This area was initially called Sterling Junction, or Pierson's Depot — members of the wealthy Pierson family resided in the community — but when the post office opened in 1882, the name Sterlington was taken on. By the early 1920s, the Sterling Mines, which had excavated more than 2 million tons of iron ore, stopped operations. Most local mines similarly closed by the 1950s, due to exhausted resources and other, more accessible locations. Though the railroad no longer exists in Sterling, "Sterling Mine Road today follows fairly closely the track of the Sterling Mountain Railway Company," Long said. "The railroad was sold for scrap metal," Long said. "But, you can still see the original trackbed — the vestige of Sterlington's past." ************************************************************ The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
This HTML page is © 2000-2009 Blue Moon Online System and The Railfan Network
This page and the data contained therein may not be reproduced
for any form of commercial use without the explicit permission
of J. Henry Priebe Jr. or his duly authorized agent.