 1904 image of the Hercules Silver Mine, Idaho | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Hercules Mine | |
| Location | Silver Valley (Idaho) |
| State | Idaho |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 47°32′33″N 115°48′36″W / 47.5425°N 115.81°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold, Nickel[1] |
| Type | Underground |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1889 |
| Opened | 1901 |
| Active | 1901-1925, 1930-1931, 1934-1935, 1937-1938, 1941, 1945-1960, 1962, 1964-1965 |
| Closed | 1965 |
The Hercules Mine was one of the richest lead/silver mines in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in Burke, Idaho. It was discovered by Harry L. Day, a bookkeeper and clerk, and Fred Harper, a local prospector. In 1923 the mine owners founded the Day Mines, Inc. company. Other investors in the mine include August Paulsen, Levi Hutton, and May Arkwright Hutton. It eventually became the primary mine of the Hecla Mining Corporation.
Day and partners found silver-lead ore on 2 June 1901. The mine closed in 1924.[2]
The original owners of this mine all shared a unique history together, all started out as pro union or involved with the 1899 explosion at the Bunker and Sullivan.
Levi "Al" Hutton was the engineer on the train used to move explosive from the frisco mine, to the concentrator. He claimed at gun point.[3]
May Arkwright Hutton wrote a book about the horrible treatment of the miners at the hands of the mine owners, and the treatment of her husband at the hands of the sheriff/mine owners in her book. The coeur d' alenes: or, A Tale of the Modern Inquisition in Idaho. After the bonanza at the Hercules she spent the rest of her life buying all of the copies back that she could.[4]
Ed Boyce, also an early investor, was president of the Western Federation of Miners in 1899. Boyce later hit it rich with the bonanza at the Hercules silver mine. He quit his post with the labor union and opened a fancy hotel.
- ^ "Hercules Mine". Mineral Resource Data System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ Fahey, John (1990). Hecla: A Century of Western Mining. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 22, 98. ISBN 9780295970141.
- ^ schwantes, carlos (1996). ""The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive history"". University of Nebraska Press. p.320
- ^ schwantes, carlos (1996). ""The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive history"". University of Nebraska Press