The Lehigh Mine was located on the east side of Central City Road (Route JJ) and north of Center Creek, about 1/2 mile north of Fir Road near the communities of Smithfield and Carl Junction. 

The U. S. Geological Survey listed it as an open pit and underground mine producing lead and zinc.  

This accompanying photo, contributed by Jim Wisdom, shows the open pit mining operation. A large pile of rock to be processed can be seen on the left with the tailing pile on the right.

The Lehigh Mine was in operation by 1890 with James Cummings listed as its operator. By 1911 the Lehigh ground was the best ore producer in the Carl Junction area.

The United Zinc Co. owned the land and leased sections of ground to various people.  

A group of Webb City men operated the Webb City-Lehigh Mine, other leases were called the Chicago-Lehigh Mine, the United Lehigh Mine and the Joplin-Lehigh Mine.

In 1912, a large mill known as the Highland was moved to the United-Lehigh Mine from the Porto Rico mines that were located near Prosperity.

This mill was built to process the sheet ground ore that was mined on the Lehigh grounds. Sheet ground ore is defined as ore that occupies the narrow space along bedding planes.

A cave-in in 1913 benefited the owners of the United-Lehigh Mine. 

The neighboring Chicago-Lehigh had been producing one to three carloads of ore per week but the United-Lehigh was not doing as well. 

In one of the tunnels at the Chicago-Lehigh a large portion of the roof fell in revealing a large body of ore that would make the owners financially sound again. The United-Lehigh owners benefited as well because part of the ore was on their lease.

The mines on the Lehigh lease operated until about 1916. The land continued to be owned by mining companies and in 1937 the Double J Mining Co. took over a lease of 191 acres from the Banta Mining Co., with the intent on reopening the mines on the old Lehigh ground.