The Duluth Mining Company was organized and incorporated on June 4, 1909, by Charles A. Andrews, Erick Hedin, secretary, James J. Murphy, president, O.A. Olin, vice president, and George L. Grunewald. Eugene Day replaced Erick Hedin as director following Hedin's death in 1917. The Company controlled seven mines consisting of the Duluth, Duluth Fraction, Minnie, Lillie, Lillie Fraction, Selma, and St. Louis in the Leland mining district, Shoshone County, Idaho. The Lindberg lode was acquired by the company in 1927.
Eugene R. Day died in 1922 and was succeeded on the board of directors by Jerome J. Day by 1925. The other company directors at that time were J.J. Murphy, president; Peter Bauer, vice president; F. Bland, secretary-treasurer; and W. C. Robinson.
In October of 1925 Henry L. Day and P.J. Maggy were elected to the board of directors after each received 5000 shares of Duluth Mining Company stock from Jerome J. Day. They replaced Peter Bauer and W. C. Robinson who had become ineligible as directors when their shares in the company were sold to pay delinquent assessments. As soon as Henry L. Day and P. J. Maggy had been sworn in as directors Jerome J. Day resigned from the board. Joseph A. Brown was elected to replace him and Henry L. Day was elected to fill the vice president's seat previously occupied by Peter Bauer.
In 1927 the company's officers were Walter B. Heitfeld, president; Henry L. Day, vice president; John E. Ryan, secretary-treasurer; P. J. Maggy and John F. Murphy. Following their election in July of that year it was announced that the company had no funds and an indebtedness of about nine hundred dollars for which an assessment of six mills per share was levied. Subsequent years saw additional stock assessments of from two to seven mills per share.
In January 1931 W.A. Devan succeeded the late John E. Ryan as a company director and as secretary-treasurer. Sometime between May 1931 and May 1933 P.J. Maggy left the area with embezzled funds, for which members of the Day family eventually made restitution, and was replaced by John H. Wourms. Also in May of 1933, S. F. Heitfeld, an accountant with the company, was elected to the board of directors and succeeded W.A. Devan as the company's secretary-treasurer.
In November 1941 Henry L. Day was elected president of the Duluth Mining Company, S.F. Heitfeld became vice president, and Henry Buhrmester was elected secretary-treasurer. The other directors at that time were John F. Murphy and John H. Wourms.
In 1947 following the deaths of Murphy and Wourms, F.M. Rothrock and R.W. Anno became company directors. That year also saw the end of the Duluth Mining Company as an independent organization. On June 19, 1947 the company's board of directors voted unanimously to approve a plan whereby the Duluth Mining Company would consolidate with the Hercules and other mining companies forming a new corporation to be known as Day Mines, Inc. The proposal was subsequently approved by the stockholders and the Duluth Mining Company ceased to exist.
The Day family was deeply involved with the Duluth Mining Company throughout its existence. In addition to serving as directors and company officers the Days were major stockholders in the company. Day family members who owned stock in the Duluth Mining Company prior to its consolidation into Day Mines, Inc., included Eugene Day, Jerome Day, Henry L. Day, Harry Loren Day, Lucy Mix Day, Bernice Day, and Eleanor Day Boyce.
The records of the Duluth Mining Company span the years 1909 to 1947. Included are minutes of meetings, financial statements, correspondence with suppliers and stockholders, annual statements, a stock ledger, cancelled stock certificates, assessment records, lists of stockholders, a financial ledger and journal, check registers, and tax returns.
The records of the Duluth Mining Company are divided into five series.
The first series, Records of the Board of Directors and the Stockholders, includes a bound volume of minutes of meetings, plus three folders of material such as articles on incorporation, bylaws, newspaper clippings, public notices of stock assessments and delinquent stockholders, reports to stockholders, financial statements, and affidavits of company officials.
General Correspondence and Related Records, the second series, contains correspondence with stockholders, contracts, annual statement and reports, agreements, stockholder lists, and corporation income tax returns for the years 1927 and 1928.
The third series is Capital Stock Records. Included are a stock ledger, cancelled stock certificates, a 1947 list of stockholders, a stock audit for 1933, and records relating to assessments.
The fourth series, Financial Records, contains a stock ledger and journal, check registers, and invoices and receipts for supplies, printing, and work done under contract.
Tax Records, the final series, consists of Capital stock returns for 1934-1945 and Idaho corporation income tax returns, 1932-1947.
Removal of returned assessment notices, vouchers, paid checks, bank statements, and duplicate materials reduced the size of this collection by one cubic foot.
The records of the Duluth Mining Company are part of the records of Day Mines, Inc., donated to the University of Idaho by Henry Day in 1984 and 1985.
Initial processing of this manuscript group was done by Douglas Carr in November 1987.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.