Happy Jack Peak and Chalk Mine

Useful Information

Location:	80131 N State Hwy 11, Scotia, NE 68875. (41.441560, -98.707255)
Open:	Memorial Day to Labor Day Mon-Fri 10-17, Sat, Sun 10-18. [2026]
Fee:	Adults USD 16, Children (5-12) USD 10, Children (0-4) free, Seniors USD 12, Veterans USD 8. [2026]
Classification:	Limestone Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	L=9.7 km, T=18 °C.
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Happy Jack Peak and Chalk Mine, 80131 N State Hwy 11, Scotia, NE 68875, Tel: +1-308-245-3276. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1872	first settlers arrive. Jack Swearengen lives in a dugout in the hill.
1877	Ed Wright begins to mine chalk.
1887	Ed Wright builds general store at Scotia.
1930s	mine reopened by a paint company from Omaha.
1950s	mine closed.
1966	opened to the public.
1967	mine purchased by the Nebraska State Game and Parks Commission for use as a wayside park.
1970s	show mine closed.
1997	show mine reopened.
2025	show mine closed for renovation.
2026	show mine reopened.

Geology

Chalk is a special kind of limestone, which is porous and soft, and typically very white. It can be used of colour, cement, neutralizing acids in agriculture and of course as building stone. The chalk is diatomaceous sediment, plankton which deposited on the seabed.

Description

Happy Jack Peak and Chalk Mine, or sometime simpler Happy Jack Chalk Mine is a unique show mine in the U.S.A., as it is actually the only room and pillar chalk mine in North America. The chalk hill Happy Jack Peak (624 m asl) is located at Highway 11, north of Saint Paul. The trapper, guide and government scout Jack Swearengen lived in a dugout in the hill, when the first settler arrived in 1872. The hill soon became known as Happy Jack Peak, and it was an important lookout to detect surprise Indian attacks. Mining started with Ed Wright in 1877, who used the stone to build a general store in 1887. Most houses were erected with chalk foundations, though the houses were made of wood. Then the mine was abandoned for decades until the 1930s, when it was bought and reopend by a paint company from Omaha. They extracted chalk for paint filler, makeup, chicken feed and much more.

In the 1960s a local bought the mine and opened it for the public. In 1967 the mine was purchased by the Nebraska State Game and Parks Commission for use as a wayside park. Its unclear why the mine was closed in the 1970s, probably the man simply retired. When a Boy Scout group cleaned up the site in 1995, some locals had the idea to reopen the show mine. This reopening was done by volunteers but with community involvement. In 1997 the Happy Jack Chalk Mine Association renovated the mine and added lights. They built stairs to the summit of Happy Jack’s Peak and a museum with displays of mining equipment. Since then it is open to the public, though it was closed in 2024 for renovation.