A few weeks ago, the Friends of Case Library at Black Hills State University distributed the fall edition of "The Black Hills Historian." It contains several interesting pieces, including an abbreviated version of the Johnson Siding story that we posted here last week. The newsletter also offers a variety of helpful tips, including a "Highlighted Resource," which this time focuses upon Lawrence County tax records. Well worth a visit. There's also a feature called "Highlighted Collection," which for this issue is described in the article below by Dr. David Wolff and Roberta Sago. Our thanks to both of them for allowing us to re-print their article here.
Highlighted Collection:
Wharf/Bald Mountain Mining Records
The records donated by the Wharf Mining Company deal
primarily with the Bald Mountain Mining Company (BMMC), which was organized in
1928 and operated intermittently in the Bald Mountain/Terry Peak areas until
1959. While the company was a late arrival in terms of Black Hills mining
history, the ground it worked had been prospected and developed since 1877. In
that year, A.J. Smith located the claims that eventually became part of the
Bald Mountain Mining Company.
The first actual mining company to precede the BMMC was the
Portland Mining Co., organized in 1880, but its production was limited because
of difficulties in treating the area’s refractory gold ore. In 1911 the
Portland Company purchased the American Eagle Mining Co., including its cyanide
mill, and the property was reorganized as the Trojan Mining Co. From that time
until 1923, the Trojan company produced about 300,000 ounces of gold. Rising
costs caused this company to close, and the property underwent another reorganization,
this time as the Bald Mountain Mining Co.
The new entity did some exploration, but actual production
did not begin until 1933 when the government raised the price of gold to $35 an
ounce. The increase allowed the company to do well, but only for a time. With
the price of gold fixed at $35 an ounce through the 1950s, profits disappeared
and the operation closed. The Wharf took control of the property in the 1980s
when the federal government stopped regulating the price of gold, and mining
again became profitable.
The Wharf Records collection consists of 10.5 cubic feet or
records and more than 1,000 mining maps and blueprints. Materials are dated from 1893-1960 and
include: Balance Sheets1949-1954;
Journal dated 1934-1958, recording ore mined, weight, dry, bullion, percent of
water, percent of bullion; Invoices 1956-1958, detailing purchase Records,
Stock Records of Equipment, List of and location of Equipment on property,
Record of Supplies Purchased from
the Company by the miners; Information about other mining companies; BMMC
Investigations into other types of ore; Mill performance data; Surveyor’s Log;
General Assay Book; Test Notes; Oil Lands and Leases 1897-1920; Uranium,
Uranium Mining 1953-1955, Uranium Legislation 1950-1955, Uranium Analysis
1953-1955; Advertising Pamphlets and catalogs; Information on and
correspondence concerning new equipment 1934-1958; Personnel Records; Order
book; Wage scale; Abstracts of Title; Shipment Statements; Purchase Orders; C.E.
Dawson Correspondence, 1937-1948; Traverse Sheets; and Calculation Sheets.
Wharf Resources, Inc. donated these records in 1987. You can search the inventory of the
maps online at:
In addition to the materials donated in 1987, The City of
Deadwood Archives donated 28 boxes of materials and nine ledgers to enhance the
Wharf / Bald Mountain Mining Records collection. These documents cover the company history from the 1930s to
the 1950s.
NOTE: Case Library is located on the second floor of the E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center on the campus of Black Hills State University. More information about the library can be found at: Case Library.
