The Lone Jack Gold Mine was discovered in 1897 by Jack Post, Russ Lambert, and Luman Van Valkenburg during a prospecting excursion in what would later be the Mount Baker Mining District. They laid claim to the 88 acres of land which included the Lone Jack, Lulu, Whist, Jennie, and Sidney areas. The following year, the partners sold their claims to Henry Hahn, Leo Friede and Henry Stanislawsky for $50,000 who in turn signed a contract with the Mt. Baker Mining Co. for $90,000. Following this deal, the mine changed hands multiple times; being sold to English and Son, reverting back to Hahn and Friede after a failed deal, sold to George Thomas and S.Q. Clark of Boundary Gold Co. in 1913, and taken over by Philip Brooks of Brooks-Willis Metals Inc. in the 1920s. Brooks-Willis Co. stopped work at the mine in 1925 following the repeated damage and destruction of buildings from winter avalanches. Brooks’ family retained control of the property. Josephine, Brooks’ mother, hired Harry Bullene and students from Meridian High School to repair the damaged buildings and widen the trails. After her death in the 1940’s, the property passed to Harry and Mamie Bullene. The Bullenes have leased the property to various individuals and companies, including Robert J. Cole, Calkins Equipment Co., Lone Jack Co., SAC Co. and Delmore Enterprises, and lastly Diversified Development Co.
There have been various changes made to the mine over the years. The stamp mill for processing gold ore was first installed in July of 1903, though it burned down in 1907. By 1922, along with a new stamp mill, the owners had built a sawmill, an electrical generator powerhouse, telephone lines and lighting in the mine. In 1964, abandoned dynamite was discovered in the mine and destroyed in a controlled explosion by members of the Army Forest Personnel. The last gold ore was shipped from Lone Jack in 1995.
Robert J. Cole, a mining engineer, leased the Lone Jack Mine property from Harry and Mamie Bullene between the early 1950s and 1975 when the Bullenes created a new lease with Calkins Equipment Co. He, along with his brother Henry A. Cole, invested in both the Galena Bay Mining Co. and the Nikolai Mining Co. of Alaska. They were also involved in uranuim mining in Nevada during the 1950's. Along with his investments, Robert J. Cole worked with the Nicholson Mining Co. and the Kromona Mines Corporation.
This collection is comprised of documents pertaining to Robert J. Cole’s work at the Lone Jack Gold Mines between the early 1950s and 1975. The records include surveys, maps, photographs, and reports on the mine created by Cole and others who had worked the mine previously. There is also correspondence between Cole and his brother, Henry A. Cole as well as Harry Bullene, the owner of the mine. In 1941, Philip Lindstrom wrote a thesis for a Bachelor of Science in Mining Technology at the University of Washington titled The Lone Jack Gold Mine Whatcom County which is also included in the collection. Along with the information on Lone Jack Mine, there are also some records of Cole's work with various other mining companies in Washington, Illinois, Alaska and Nevada, including correspondence about shares in Galena Bay and Nikolai Mining as well as documentation for work done with the Kromona Mines Corporation.
These materials are arranged into two series, the first of which has been divided into two subseries:
The collection is open to the public.
Robert J. Cole collection of Lone Jack Mine records, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
These records were originally donated to the Whatcom Museum by Paul Marlow on behalf of the Estate of Robert Cole on March 5, 2008. They were transferred to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies on May 21, 2012.
Donated by the Whatcom Museum on May 21, 2012.
During processing, old folders and envelopes were removed and discarded and replaced with acid free folders. Photographs were individually sleeved and numbered to allow for ease of handling and use. Acid free tissue paper was placed in the Lindstrom book to protect the photographs and pages from further damage from adhesive.
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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.
Series I contains survey notes, blueprints for mining equipment, newspaper articles and reports pertaining to Lone Jack Mine, as well as one thesis about Lone Jack Mine written by a University of Washington student in 1941 and two sets of photographs of the surrounding area. The documents appear to have been created or used by Robert J. Cole in the process of working the mine.
This subseries contains color photographs of the inside of Lone Jack Mine and the surrounding area as well as a group of black and white photographs of the mountains and general area around the mine. It is unclear who the photographers were.
These records document other mining companies with which Robert J. Cole invested or worked. There is correspondence between Cole and his brother, Henry A. Cole, discussing business ventures in Nevada and at Galena Bay in Alaska, as well as paperwork and correspondence between Robert J. Cole and the Kromona Mines Corporation.