Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Combination Mining And Milling Company records, 1888-1899
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Combination Mining and Milling Company
- Title
- Combination Mining And Milling Company records
- Dates
- 1888-1899 (inclusive)18881899
- Quantity
- 3 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 73 (collection)
- Summary
- The Combination Mining and Milling Company was a Black Pine, Montana, silver mining company. This collection (1888-1899) consists of general correspondence; payroll; supply, and miscellaneous financial records; manager's monthly reports; and miscellany.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Combination Mine was located at Black Pine, Montana, about 12 miles northwest of Philipsburg. The silver deposits on Black Pine Ridge were originally located in 1882, but little development work was done for the next few years due in part to the high cost of building roads through the heavy timber. In 1886, James A. Pack secured a lease on the property and formed the Black Pine Mining Company to develop the mine. The company was composed of Pack, Josiah M. Merrill, Joseph H. Harper, Frederick W. Flint, Aeneas McAndrew, Ralph B. Wallace, and William P. Shryock. This company built a 10-stamp mill in the Willow Creek Valley below Black Pine Ridge. Unfortunately, the company had underestimated the cost of construction, and was not able to secure sufficient funds to pay off its debts.
In December 1887, a group of the Company's stockholders reorganized to form the Combination Mining and Milling Company, buying the assets of the old company which were to be sold at sheriff's auction. This new company, headed by Harper plus Anthony H. Barrett, Patrick Talent, George E. Maule, Elliott H. Wilson, Henry Williams, and Charles W. Goodale, was capitalized at $600,000. By 1891, Charles D. McLure, of the Granite Mountain Mining Company and the Bi-Metallic Mining Company, had acquired a majority of the stock of the Combination. In 1893, the officers of the Combination were almost identical with those of the Bi-Metallic.
In the fall of 1890, unsettled conditions in the silver market forced the closing of the mine for the winter. The company was able to re-open the following spring. The Combination mine and mill continued the operate until 1897. In spite of an output of over two million ounces of silver, the company was never able to pay any dividends and, in fact, had to assess each share a total of over 35 cents over the next ten years of operation.
After the turn of the century, the property, owned primarily be Charles D. McLure and later by his heirs, continued to produce sporadically under various leases. In 1932, the McLures and several Seattle investors formed Black Pine Mines, Inc. to purchase the property. This company produced for several years, but went out of business around 1941.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The general correspondence (1888-1899) in this collection consists of incoming, interoffice, and outgoing correspondence, filed together. Telegrams (1894-1898) are filed separately. In addition, there are financial records (1888-1898), including payrolls, supply lists, trial balances, vouchers, and other materials; organizational records (1898-1899); production records (1888-1896); and legal documents (1891). The W.A. Akers letterpress book (1888-1889) contains detailed letters from the mine manager to company officials in Butte, describing day-to-day operations, including an account of the fire of 1889 which destroyed much of the town of Black Pine.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by series. Some material housed in oversize folder in archives map case. Some material housed in manuscript volumes. See inventory below for more information.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Interoffice Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Letterpress book: superintendent W.A. Akers to Butte
office [on loan from University of Montana] |
1888-1889 |
1 / 2 | F.H. Coy (Combination office) and C.T. Rhodes (Butte
office) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 3 | Paul A. Fusz (Philipsburg office) and C.T. Rhodes
(Butte office) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 4 | Charles D. McLure (St. Louis office) and C.T. Rhodes
(Butte office) |
1899 |
1 / 5 | Jesse B. Mellor (St. Louis office) and C.T. Rhodes
(Butte office) |
1898-1899 |
Incoming Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 6 | F-J (correspondents include Fred M. Ferrell, John J.
Ferrell, J.P. Flint, Henry Francis, Jacob Franzman, Fraser and Chalmers, Richard R.
Hoge, Joseph A. Hyde Banking Company, James Ingles, Valentine Jacky, F.J. Jones) |
1891 |
1 / 7 | K-T (correspondents include M. Kaiser, Fred J.
Kramer, S.T. Kyle, Hy Lake, S. Lavelle, W.G. Lewis, Ella G. Lyons, Merchants National
Bank, C.A. Molson, J. Nesbitt, Abram Northey, Mat Quick, George J. Reek, H.G. Roberts,
O.A. Tibbetts) |
1891 |
General Correspondence Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 8 | Frank D. Brown (Philipsburg) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 9 | B-C (primarily re stock assessment) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 10 | Granite-BiMetallic Consolidated Mining Company |
1898-1899 |
1 / 11 | G-L (primarily re stock assessment) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 12 | M-P (primarily re stock assessment) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 13 | Rocky Mountain Telegraph Company |
1898-1899 |
1 / 14 | R-W (primarily re stock assessment) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 15 | Werner Ziegler (Philipsburg) |
1898-1899 |
1 / 16 | Telegrams |
1894 |
2 / 1-7 | Telegrams |
1895 |
3 / 1-9 | Telegrams |
1896-1898 |
Financial Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 10 | Cancelled checks [sampled] |
1888-1892 |
3 / 11 | Cash sheets |
1890-1891 |
4 / 1 | Cash sheets |
1892-1895 |
4 / 2 | Delinquent tax list |
1898 |
4 / 3 | Detailed statements of milling expense |
1892 |
4 / 4-6 | Journal sheets |
1890-1895 |
4 / 7 | Orders |
1895 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Payrolls [Map Case] |
1888-1891 |
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 8 | Receipts [sampled] |
1888-1892 |
4 / 8-10 | Supplies issued [some items in OVERSIZE FOLDER] |
1888-1891 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Supplies issued [Map Case] |
1888-1891 |
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 1-2 | Supplies issued |
1892-1895 |
5 / 3 | Supplies on hand |
1882-1895 |
6 / 1-3 | Trial balances [some items in OVERSIZE FOLDER] |
1888-1894 |
Oversize Folder | ||
1 | Trial balances [Map Case] |
1888-1894 |
Volume | ||
1 | Trial balances |
1892-1898 |
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 4-7 | Vouchers |
1891-1893 |
Legal Documents Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 8 | Notice of attachment |
1891 |
Organizational Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 9 | Stockholders' meeting notice and proxy |
1898-1899 |
Production Records Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 10 | Bullion sheets |
1895-1896 |
Volume | ||
2 | Manager's monthly reports |
1888-1891 |
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 1 | Mine assay reports |
1889-1892 |
Miscellany Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 2 | Descriptions of leased property |
1894-1896 |
7 / 3 | Description of work done |
circa 1890 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Forest fires--Montana
- Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Granite County
- Silver mines and mining--Montana--Granite County
Corporate Names
- Combination Mining and Milling Company (creator)
Geographical Names
- Black Pine (Mont.)
- Granite County (Mont.)
- Philipsburg (Mont.)