Lead was discovered in the Joplin Creek Valley before the American Civil WarCivil War, but it was only after the war that any real development occurred. By 1871 numerous mining camps had sprung up in the valley and resident John C. Cox filed a plan for a city on the east side of the valley. Cox named his village Joplin City after the spring and creek nearby. The namesake comes from the Reverend Harris G. Joplin who founded the first MethodismMethodist congregation in the area in mid-century. Carthage resident Patrick Murphy filed a plan for a city on the opposite side of the valley and named it Murphysburg. By the turn of the century Joplin was quickly becoming a regional metropolis. Construction centered around Main Street, with many bars, hotels, and fine homes scattered about. Trolley and rail lines made Joplin the hub of Southwest Missouri and it soon became the lead and zinc capital of the world. As a result of extensive surface and deep mining, Joplin is dotted with open pit strip mines and mine shafts. Tailing piles (small hills of ground rock), while considered unsightly locally, bear a strong resemplance to the Painted Desert in Arizona. The open pit mines themselves pose both hazards and sources of beauty. The main part of Joplin itself is nearly 75% undermined, with some mine shafts well over 100 feet high. These mine shafts have occasionally caved in, creating large sink holes. The mining history and geology are well documented in the mineral museum in town. In the 1930s, Bonnie and Clyde spent several weeks in Joplin and robbed several area businesses. Tipped off by a neighbor, Joplin police attempted to apprehend Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde escaped (killing two Joplin police officers in the process); however, they were forced to leave most of their possessions behind, including a camera. The film in this camera was developed by the Joplin Globe. These are possibly the most famous photos of Bonnie and Clyde. After World War II, most of the mines were closed, population growth leveled off, and in the sixties and seventies nearly 40 acres (160,000 m sq) of the city's beautiful and historic downtown were razed in the name of "urban renewal." Notable places in Joplin included the House of Lords, the Connor Hotel (demolished), the Keystone Hotel, the Newman Mercantile Store, the Frisco Depot, the Union Depot, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the Liberty Building, the Fox Theatre, and the Crystal Cave. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joplin%2C_Missouri