Hecla Mining
Hecla Mining is a gold, silver and other precious metals mining company based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Founded in 1891, is the second-largest mining company that produces silver in the country. This area is known as the Silver Valley (Idaho). In 1983, this entire area was designated as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency, because of land, water, and air contamination resulting from a century of mostly unregulated silver and gold mining. History James Toner filed the Hecla claim on 5 May 1885. He passed on the claim to A.P. Horton, who sold it to George W. Hardesty and Simon Healey. Patrick (Patsy) Clark owned the claim outright by 1 July 1891. On 29 Sept. 1891, Clark formed the Hecla Mining Company with Albert Gross and Charles Kipp. On 14 Oct. 1891, the company was incorporated in Idaho by Clark, Charles Kipp, John A. Finch, Amasa B. (Mace) Campbell, John Dorsey, Healey and Hardesty, and 500,000 shares issued. By 1897, the mine had three tunnels and a 150 foot winze. On 12 July 1899, the new Hecla Mining Company was incorporated in Washington by Campbell, Finch and Clark. The company was capitalized with 1,000,000 shares, surrounding claims were acquired, and Edward F. Moffitt made manager. The Hecla tunnel was rebuilt in 1900, and the company paid its first dividend on 25 July 1900. Ore was sent to Salida, Colorado for processing by American Metal Company's Ohio & Colorado Smelting & Refining Company. James F. McCarthy took over management in 1903, James R. Smith was elected president, and the company bought the Milwaukee mill located in Gem. In 1913, Hecla started sending ore to International Smelting and Refining Company in Tooele, Utah. Hecla Mining moved offices from Spokane, Washington, to Wallace, Idaho, on 14 Oct. 1904. In Oct. 1908, Frank Upman was elected president, he was succeeded by McCarthy in Oct. 1911, and the east ore body was discovered in Feb. 1912. On 23 Sept. 1915, Hecla stock was listed on the New York Curb Exchange, and monthly dividends paid since March 1904, became quarterly in 1918. In July 1917, Hecla began sending its ore to the Bunker Hill Mine and Smelting Complex in Kellogg, Idaho, and by 1918, the Hecla mine shaft was reaching 2000 feet in depth. In 1920, Hecla acquired Federal Mining & Smelting Co.'s claims near Hecla, including the Tiger-Poorman. The Bunker Hill Mining Company constructed an electrolytic zinc plant after purchasing the Star Mine in Burke. Bunker Hill formed an equal partnership with Hecla Mining to develop the Star Ore and develop the zinc plant, calling the company the Sullivan Mining Company. The Star ore was accessed and mined from an almost 8000 foot tunnel from the lower workings of Hecla Mine. The tunnel was started in 1921, and the zinc plant was operational by Oct. 1928, and used Dr. U.C. Tainton's process. The Tainton process used sulphuric acid to combine with the zinc, forming a sulphate solution, followed by electrolysis tp remove the