Arthur J. Theis papers, 1882-1973

This collection is predominately Theis’ correspondence with his mining associates, co-owners, and operators. It includes correspondence with those whose interests Theis represented in mining transactions. Unique to this collection in the correspondence is the detail of miners’ daily life. From the difficulty of shipping supplies into the interior of British Columbia or Alaskan mines via rivers to the isolation of workers over winter months in Montana mines, the letters describe conditions. There are receipts to see what food supplies were carried in for winter months and what kinds of entertainment workers were able to enjoy before the telephone or television reached these areas. There are also numerous letters describing the difficulties workers had with mining equipment and how location and weather complicated efforts to make repairs.

There is other correspondence in which Theis discusses his political stand on the diminishing value of gold in the United States and his belief in the threat of communism around the world after World War II that reflects America’s fear of the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s. Contained in this collection is his plan to help rebuild the American economy after World War II, thereby increasing consumer purchasing power and a return to the gold standard.

The collection contains mine maps and photographs of various mines, equipment, and structures. There are records and assay reports on gold and other minerals, many dating from the 1930s to the 1940s. The collection also contains slides and film footage.