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History
The Copper King Mining and
Smelting Company was incorporated on 13 August 1901. Its mine was
located in the Lelande and Hunter Mining District in Shoshone
County, Idaho, near the head of Deadman Creek, about four miles from
the town of Mullan.
Copper King's Board of
Directors changed often, but most of the business was transacted by
H.W. Ingalls, secretary. In 1930 the company was sold to E.H. and
W.B. Heitfeld, David Smith, F.M. Rothrock, and Henry L. Day, who
became the mine manager. Jerome Day was also a company officer until
his death in 1941.
Little ore ever came out of
the Copper King, though reports to the stockholders were
consistently optimistic: Something big lay just ahead and, with
another assessment, would be revealed in the next phase of
development. During 1917 the directors claimed that the main ore
body had been found but the mine was not yet self-sustaining. The
same year the board proposed construction of a small milling plant
for the site; but abandoned the idea when cost estimates doubled.
Work stopped for nine months in 1918-1919 because of the war, and
the 1920 report to the stockholders confessed that exploration and
overall ore production had been disappointing. Still, the board
requested another assessment, and further assessments were levied
throughout the 1920s.
Finally, in 1933, development
efforts ceased and all of the mine's machinery was removed for
storage at the Hercules Mill. In 1941 the Board briefly entertained
the idea of putting the mine back into operation. Instead, in
November 1943, Copper King stock was exchanged one share for three
of King Mining Company.
Source: www.ws.edu
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