Archives West Finding Aid

The Sunshine Mine located in northern Idaho's Shoshone county was once the most profitable silver mine in the state. Established in 1884 by the Blake brothers, and the Sunshine Mining Company was created in 1918 and closed in 2001 with over 360 million ounces of silver mined. On May 2,1972 tragedy struck when a fire started in the air intake side of the mine, leaving exits clouded with smoke and carbon monoxide circulating throughout. Of the 173 men that went down into the mine that day, only eighty were saved when the hoistman died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Ninety-three miners were unaccounted for, and over the next seven days only two men, Wilkinson and Flory were rescued alive.

This tragic fire that took the lives of so many men did not go unrecognized by the industry or the federal government. Changes were made, the United States Department of Interior and United States Bureau of Mines increased safety standards and precautions and light was shown onto the dark tendencies of the industry that valued the profit of mining over the safety of their workers. Ninety-one miners lost their lives in the Sunshine Mine fire from carbon monoxide poisoning from smoke inhalation and each one of them hasn't been forgotten. A memorial sculpture of the 13-foot-tall miner stands on the Interstate 90 highway with ninety-one small tombstones behind him for each man lost in the fire and an annual memorial is held for the families and descendants of the miners.