These scans from selected books on mining history are from my 1200 volume collection. I’ll add those that I think may be of interest from time to time as well as other items dealing with mining history. Click on the image to open a Postscript Data File (PDF) Document.
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1900 Mines of ButteA Brief History of Butte Montana – The World’s Greatest Mining Camp by Harry C. Freeman, The Henry O. Shepard Company, Chicago, IL, 1900 (Hal Post collection)
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1890s Views of Granite and Philipsburg, MontanaViews of Granite, Philipsburg and Vicinity by Charles Weitfle, Published by Author, Granite, MT, ca. early 1890s (Hal Post collection; Extremely rare. This 5 x 6 in. booklet was published by Weitfle, a well-known photographer, but the images are not photos. Rather they are unique hand drawn images of the original photos. Charles Weitfle (1836-1921) came to the United States from Germany at age 13. He served as a photographer for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1878, he established a studio in Central City, Colo. and later had a studio in Denver. In 1883, his Denver Studio burned, destroying approximately 1,000 plates. Prior to the disastrous fire, Weitfle was the top producer of stereographs in Colorado. He then established a tent studio in Cheyenne and also maintained a studio in Rawlins. In 1888, Weitfle moved to Granite County, Mont. and later to Philipsburg where images for this book were made. The images are attached in 16 accordion style pages and include views of mines, miners, mills and buildings located in and around Granite and Philipsburg. Granite Mountain mine hit a pay streak in 1880 setting off a boom to the region. The district went on to produce over $30 million. At its peak, the Granite Mountain mine was paying $100,000 in dividends per month. Total production was $22 million. The next biggest mine, the Bi-Metallic, produced around $12 million.)
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1904 Images of Georgetown, Colorado MiningScenic Beauties of the Rockies – Georgetown, Colorado, Published by Georgetown Board of Mines and Commerce, Georgetown, CO, 1904 (Hal Post collection; features images of photographers George Dalgleish and Cogshall)
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Golden Rule Lode Mining Claim Filed in Gila County Arizona 1908 (Hal Post collection; This is an example of a mining lode claim filed for the Golden Rule in the Riverside Mining District, Gila County, Arizona on July 10, 1908 by Mat Salmhofer and R. H. Renfro. It is an amended location for a claim originally filed on March 24, 1903 by the same claimants and recorded in Book 20 of the Records of Mines in Gila County. I was unable to determine if they hit a bonanza but I suspect it was just another hole in the ground, an interesting piece of history nonetheless.)
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1915 Images of Cripple Creek, Colorado Mines and MinersA Picture Story of The Cripple Creek Trip, Unknown Publisher and Author, ca. 1915 (Hal Post collection; This neat soft bound book features 73 halftones and 4 folding plates of photographs taken of Cripple Creek mines and miners. It’s actually a photo log of the author’s trip on the Short Line to Cripple Creek railroad in the early 1900s and includes a number of interesting railroad photos of the journey. The photos of the Cripple Creek mines are quite good.)
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1879 Advertisements in the Colorado Directory of MinesThe Colorado Directory of Mines Containing a Description of the Mines and Mills, and the Mining and Milling Corporations of Colorado by Thomas B. Corbett, Rocky Mountain News Publishing Company, Denver, CO, 1879 (Hal Post collection; This extremely rare first edition contains information on all the mines, mining and milling companies in Colorado as of 1879. It is 440 pages long and like many of the volumes of that time contains advertising sections in both the front and the back of the text, most likely to offset the expense of publishing such a treasure of information. The advertisers provide a good snapshot of the mining supply businesses active in the state in 1879. Many of the ad pages have bruises and bumps but are quite readable. The mine and company entries are by county.)
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1883 Advertisements in the Colorado Mining DirectoryThe Colorado Mining Directory Containing an Accurate Description of the Mines, Mining Properties and Mills, and the Mining, Milling, Smelting, Reducing and Refining Companies and Corporations of Colorado by editors Robert A. Corregan and David F. Lingane, The Colorado Mining Directory Company, Denver, CO, 1883 (Hal Post collection; This extremely rare first edition contains information on all the mines, mining and milling companies in Colorado as of 1883. It is 915 pages long and like many of the volumes of that time contains advertising sections in both the front and the back of the text, most likely to offset the expense of publishing such a treasure of information. The advertisers provide a good snapshot of the mining supply businesses active in the state in 1883. Many of the ad pages have bruises and bumps but are quite readable. The mine and company entries are by county.)
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1897 Photos and Advertisements in the Copper Manual Vol. IThe Copper Manual – Copper Mines, Copper Statistics and A Summary of Information on Copper by D. Houston & Co. Metal Brokers, J. W. Pratt Company, New York, NY, 1897 (Hal Post collection; This extremely rare first volume contains information on the copper mines, mining and smelting companies as of 1897. It is 204 pages long and contains advertising in the back of the book. The Copper Manual predates the Copper Handbook by Horace Stevens first published in 1900 and was the bible of copper mining at the time.)
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1899 Photos and Advertisements in the Copper Manual Vol. IIThe Copper Manual Vol. II – Copper Mines, Copper Statistics, Copper Shares and A Summary of Information on Copper by D. Houston & Co. Metal Brokers, D. Houston and Company, New York, NY, 1899 (Hal Post collection; This extremely rare second volume contains information on the copper mines, mining and smelting companies as of 1899. It is 398 pages long and contains advertising in the back of the book. The Copper Manual predates the Copper Handbook by Horace Stevens first published in 1900 and was the bible of copper mining at the time.)
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1904 Photos and Advertisements in the Copper Manual Vol. IIIThe Copper Manual Vol. III – Copper Mines, Copper Statistics, Copper Shares and A Summary of Information on Copper by D. Houston & Co. Metal Brokers, D. Houston and Company, New York, NY, 1904 (Hal Post collection; This extremely rare third and final volume contains information on the copper mines, mining and smelting companies as of 1904. It is 474 pages long and contains advertising in the back of the book. The Copper Manual predates the Copper Handbook by Horace Stevens first published in 1900 and was the bible of copper mining at the time.)
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Postcards of Butte Mining from 1900-1910Collection of over 3 dozen mining related postcards from Butte, Montana (Hal Post collection; This collection of 100-year old postcards of Butte, its mines and miners reflects on the rich mining history of Montana. A few of the cards show Virginia City at an even earlier time. Several have dated cancellations while the majority are unused condition.)
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Photos and Advertisements from Pittsburgh Coal Company’s 1917 Promotional BookThe Romance of Coal, Pittsburgh Coal Company, Pittsburgh, PA, 1917 (Hal Post collection; This hardbound, large format promotional book published by the Pittsburgh Coal Company in 1917 is a true gem. Historic photos of Pittsburgh Coal’s mining operations including mines, railways, docks and ships covering 85 pages are blended with 70 advertisements of suppliers to the company. The presentation format is quite different in that a photo of the company operation is on the right-side page and a company supplier ad is on the opposite left-side page. At the time, Pittsburgh Coal had 78 active mines in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky and was the largest supplier of bituminous coal in the world with a yearly capacity of 30 million tons. Interesting ads from Atlas, Hercules, Justrite, Wolf Safety Lamp, and Universal Lamp Company are included. This is a large file so allow a few minutes for it to download.)
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Photos and Advertisements from The Woods Investment Company’s 1901 Promotional Booklet for the Pan-American ExpositionGold Fields of Cripple Creek, The Woods Investment Company of Colorado, Victor, Colorado, 1901 (Hal Post collection; This promotional booklet for the Woods Investment Company was prepared for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo NY. It’s an especially important piece of history since the Woods’ family is credited with founding the well-known mining town of Victor, Colorado. Covering the Woods’ mining companies and related businesses, the 48-page booklet includes ads for these companies, photographs of various mines and a list of 166 items featured in their exhibit at the Exposition. Warren, Harry & Frank Woods entered the Victor scene in 1892. Warren Woods, the father, was born in 1834 in Ohio and was president of most of the Woods’ enterprises. Warren Woods and his sons, Frank and Harry, soon formed the Woods Investment Company and purchased a 136-acre site at the foot of Battle Mountain, where they platted a town site and named it Victor after an early homesteader named Victor C. Adams. In 1894, the Woods brothers, who were excavating the foundation for the much needed Victor Hotel in the center of town, discovered what would become the Gold Coin Mine, one of the richest in the area, producing more than $50,000 per month in gold ore. The Woods also built the Pike’s Peak Power Company, owned the First National Bank of Victor and the Teller County Mining Supply Company, and had controlling interest in more than two dozen mining companies, and extensive real estate holdings. The Woods’ fortunes took a major hit in the 1899 Victor fire that destroyed their bank and the original Victor Hotel. Although both were rebuilt, by 1900 the main ore vein in the Gold Coin Mine began to play out and the Woods’ profits began to decline. I suspect the main focus of the promotional booklet was to attract new investors from the east and bring additional capital into the company. The Woods’ company was heavily leveraged and rumors of their impending collapse caused a run on the First National Bank of Victor. Trying to recoup, the Woods Investment Company consolidated their miscellaneous mining properties into the United Gold Mines Company in 1902. Their bank was forced to close its doors on November 4, 1903 when bank examiners declared it insolvent. Over the next several years, the Woods Family Empire collapsed and the Woods Investment Company closed its doors permanently in 1910, a sad conclusion to the founders of Victor.)
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Photos from The 1911 Ninth Annual Report of The Tonopah Mining Company of NevadaNinth Annual Report The Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada, Submitted at Ninth Annual Meeting of Stockholders May 2, 1911, Tonopah, NV, 1911 (Hal Post collection; This annual report contains a number of photos of the company’s mining properties in Tonopah. Jim Butler, the founder of Tonopah town, sold all his claims to the newly formed Tonopah Mining Company in 1902. The report includes a picture of the hoist and ore house of the famous Mizpah Mine, by far the largest silver producer in Tonopah.)
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Mining Photos from The 1907 Yukon Territory Promotional Booklet Prepared by the Canadian Ministry of the InteriorThe Yukon Territory – Its History and Resources, Issued by direction of the Hon. Frank Oliver, Minister of the Interior, Ottawa, Government Printing Bureau, 1907 (Hal Post collection; This booklet prepared by the Canadian Ministry of the Interior includes several early photos of different methods of mining existing in the Yukon Territory as of 1907.)
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Mining Photos from The 1903 Souvenir Booklet of the Copper Country in Michigan’s Upper PeninsulaSouvenir of the Copper Country Upper Peninsula of Michigan, B. E. Tyler Publisher, Houghton, MI, 1903 (Hal Post collection; This rare collection of turn-of-the-century photos covers all aspects of the copper mining industry in Michigan’s UP including mines, miners, underground scenes, surface operations, mills and smelters. These historic photos are unmarred by wordy descriptions; instead simple captions written on the photos identify the scenes. Published as a souvenir of a visitor’s experience touring the area around 1900, the photos capture a special time when copper mining was the industry of the area. I’ve scanned many of the photos showing mining activity but other photos showing the beauty of the Copper Country were not included to reduce the size of the file. The file is 41 MB, so allow some time to download and enjoy the photos.)
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Mining Photos from The 1902 Souvenir Booklet of the Black HillsThe Black Hills Souvenir – A Pictorial and Historic Description of the Black Hills, The Williamson-Haffner Engraving Co., Denver, CO, 1902 (Hal Post collection; This rare collection of turn-of-the-century photos was compiled by Rev. John I. Sanford. Describing what a tourist sees in the Black Hills, he presents photos of the area’s natural beauty, towns, businesses, agriculture and, of course, mining. Many are his photos. I’ve scanned 40 photos of mines, mills, miners and mining towns, especially Lead and Deadwood, SD. Each historic photo has a caption describing its content. The file is 41 MB, the same size as the previous Copper Country souvenir booklet, so allow some time to download and enjoy the photos.)
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| Victor Miner Application Hal Post collection; Interesting early 20th century Western American trade union ephemera – the Colorado miners and mine owners dispute was one of the most violent and disturbing events in American labor history. Here is an application for work dated Jul. 8, 1904, at the height of the Colorado Labor Wars between the Western Federation of Miners and the Cripple Creek District Mine Owners Association; one of the application questions very specifically asking “Are you a member of the Western Federation of Miners?” among other queries; in this case, the application is for a young unmarried French national, Isidor De Wilde (age 20) who had never been employed in the U.S. before; referenced signatures of Jon Schmitt and Alf De Wilde (perhaps a relation) – evidently the questions an attempt to discern union sympathies by the hire; approx. 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″ size; printed black on light yellow paper and completed in manuscript; some edge, tips wear, dustiness, old docketing – spindling holes at top; De Wilde had most probably been hired as one of the non-union workers during the CCDMOA’s attempts to break the union.
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| 1896 View Book of the Cripple Creek Gold Mining OperationsCripple Creek and Colorado Springs Illustrated – A Review and Panorama of a Unique Gold Field, with Geological Features and Achievements of Five Eventful Years, Including Outlines of Numerous Companies by Henry L. J. Warren and Robert Stride, Published by Warren & Stride, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Printed by Carson Harper Company, Denver, 1896 (Hal Post collection; This rare fabulous special first edition of Cripple Creek and Colorado Springs Illustrated was originally published in 1896. This is one of the finest known view books of a gold mining camp. Full of 104 pages of photos of mines, buildings, early town views, and other area development, the book was a promotional item for investors interested in the local gold mining operations. Eighteen pages of double columns list all the area mining companies and their holdings. I was preparing to scan several pages to include on my web site when I discovered that google books had already scanned a similar complete copy of the book in the New York Public Library. I’ve included a link to that scan for your enjoyment.)
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1904 The Black Hills IllustratedThe Black Hills Illustrated – A Terse Description of Conditions Past and Present of America’s Greatest Mineral Belt edited by George P Baldwin and published by The Black Hills Mining Men’s Association, Deadwood SD, 1904. (Hal Post collection; This rare first edition of all things Black Hills includes over 750 original photographs in this large format book of 206 pages. Every mining company active at the turn of the century is identified and summarized by its operations, mines, and business activities. Each of the towns in the Black Hills – Sylvan Lake, Rapid City, Whitewood, Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Keystone, Sturgis, Terry, Custer, Hill City, Deadwood, Lead and Hot Springs – is presented and discussed as well. This book has been reprinted several times but the reprints lack the quality of the photographs in the original printing. An original first edition of the book in the Princeton University Library was scanned by google for the internet. Rather than scan several photos for my web site, I’ve included a link to that scan of the complete book for your enjoyment.)
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