View XML QR Code

Cominco American, Inc., Douglas Mine and Concentrator Records, 1957-1976

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Cominco American, Inc.
Title
Cominco American, Inc., Douglas Mine and Concentrator Records
Dates
1957-1976 (inclusive)
Quantity
13.0 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 614
Summary
The Douglas Mine and Concentrator operated in Granite County, Montana from 1964-1968 under the ownership of the Montana Phosphate Products Company and later Cominco American, Inc. The records contain material related to the development, operation and dismantling of the mine and concentrator, as well as several maps and engineering drawings illustrating the Douglas Operation and other nearby mines owned by these same companies.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Historical Note

In 1962 the Montana Phosphate Products Company, based in Garrison, Montana, began a significant phosphate mining and milling project in the Maxville Mining District of Granite County, Montana. In addition to the potential profit for the company, it was hoped that the exploitation of area phosphate deposits would boost the region’s economy. The Douglas Mine and Concentrator located nine miles south of Drummond, Montana on Douglas Creek were a major part of this development. Montana Phosphate Products Company began underground mining at this location in 1962. By 1964 the mine employed approximately 110 workers and was steadily producing phosphate rock.

The advent of phosphate mining in Granite County during the early 1960s perked the interest of other significant firms, particularly Cominco American, Inc., the American branch of a large Canadian mining and smelting corporation. Cominco had been mining in adjacent Powell County, Montana for years, sometimes in partnership with Montana Phosphate Products Company, and saw the expanding Douglas Operation as a natural addition to its holdings. In 1965, Cominco American, Inc. gained control of the Douglas Mine and continued to expand operations at that location. The Douglas Concentrator began milling phosphate rock in 1965, and Cominco started one of Montana’s few open pit phosphate mines on their Douglas Creek site in 1967. During these years of steady expansion, production peaked and the operation employed nearly 160 men and women.

Despite promising production and heavy investment by both Montana Phosphate Products Company and Cominco American, Inc., the operation was closed down in 1968. In 1972, Cominco American, Inc. hired the Bechtel Corporation to dismantle the Douglas Concentrator and send all salvageable equipment to Greenland for use in a mine operated by Greenex, a subsidiary of Cominco. Sections of the mine and tailings at the Douglas site have since been reclaimed by the Montana Waste Cleanup Bureau, while other portions remain on the Montana DEQ shortlist, and may require further reclamation.

Return to Top

Content Description

This collection contains materials related to the development, operation and dismantling of the Douglas Mine and Concentrator, located in Granite County, Montana, by the Montana Phosphate Products Company and Cominco American, Inc. during the 1960s and early 1970s. The records offers insight into mining philosophies and trends of that time, as well as providing information on the day-to-day operations of a phosphate mine and milling operation in Western Montana.

Series I, Mine and Concentrator Development, contains materials related to the development of the Douglas Operation by the Montana Phosphate Products Company, and later Cominco American, Inc., beginning in 1962 and extending into mid-1960s. Included are cost quotations and advertisements for various mining and milling equipment, engineering drawings, construction specifications, cost projections and other materials. This series gives an overview of state-of-the-art phosphate mining technologies in the 1960s, as well as the amount of financial investment and work necessary to undertake such a mining project.

Series II, Mine and Concentrator Operations, contains daily and monthly reports, maintenance schedules, studies, correspondence, financial calculations, and other miscellaneous materials created by the Montana Phosphate Products Company and Cominco Amerincan, Inc. during the operation of the Douglas Mine and Concentrator from 1962-1968. This material provides a look into the day-to-day operations of a phosphate mine and concentrator operating in Western Montana during the 1960s.

Series III, Concentrator Dismantling, contains correspondence and daily reports, as well as other miscellaneous material related to the dismantling of the Douglas Concentrator in 1972. This action was authorized by Cominco American, Inc. and carried out by the Bechtel Corporation. The series is representative of how Cominco American, Inc. was able to salvage much of the equipment at its Douglas Creek location for use in another mining project in Greenland.

Series IV, Maps and Drawings, contains numerous oversized maps and drawings depicting the Douglas Operation and other Montana Phosphate Products Company and Cominco American, Inc. mines in the region, including the Anderson (Warm Springs), Brock, Luke, and Relyea Mines. The materials range in subject from underground mines to dam cross-sections to construction specifications.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana. Copyrigth status unknown.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Cominco American, Inc., Douglas Mine and Concentrator Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

Series I: Mine and Concentrator Development, 2.25 linear feet, 1962-1966 and undated

Series II: Mine and Concentrator Operations, 8.0 linear feet, 1957-1968 and undated

Series III: Concentrator Dismantling, 0.5 linear feet, 1972

Series IV: Maps and Drawings, 2.25 linear feet, 1961-1976 and undated

Acquisition Information

These records were found at the mine site and given to the K. Ross Toole Archives by an unknown donor in the mid-1980s.

Processing Note

The materials in this collection were maintained in their original order as closely as possible during processing. In general, originally foldered materials were placed in new folders and labeled with original folder titles. Loose materials were either integrated or placed in new folders, which were then titled by subject. In Series I, a strict grouping system was in place prior to processing. All loose materials belonging in this series, but which did not fit with any of the preexisting folder titles were placed immediately after the prearranged materials and organized alphabetically. A group of miscellaneous folded drawings from the mine and concentrator development were placed at the end of this series. In Series II, reports were placed in appropriately labeled folders, and arranged by type at the beginning of the series. Materials in this series originally held in folders grouped loosely by subject were maintained in their original order and placed immediately after the reports. Other miscellaneous loose materials were foldered by subject and arranged alphabetically at the end of this series. Materials in Series III remain in their exact original order, but were placed in new folders. The oversized maps and drawings in Series IV were grouped by subject and housed together in rolled material storage cases.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Business records--Montana
  • Mining corporations--Montana
  • Phosphate mines and mining--Montana--Granite County

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Montana Phosphate Products Company

Finding aid prepared by Jessie Nunn
2005

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...