Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada Records

Collection

Identifier: 2017-01

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada Records consists primarily of stockholder information and correspondence. Much of the correspondence is in the form of standard letters sent to stockholders. These letters fall into two main categories: letters to delinquent stockholders and letters to former stockholders with a mine update. Some correspondence from stockholders regarding change of address or general inquiries about the company is included with the stockholder information. Also included are stock exchange and transfer records from the founding of the company.

The remainder of the collection is comprised of financial and operational records. Financial records mostly include company expenses in the form of bills, purchases, orders, and expense ledger sheets for the mine store. A small amount of information on taxes, both bullion and net proceeds, is included. Operational documents include mine accident reports, mine worker shift reports, and correspondence to suppliers and equipment manufacturers.

Dates

1919-1944

Creator

Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada (Creator, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Administrative History

The Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada was incorporated on May 26, 1920, as a merger between the Reorganized Atlanta Mining Company, Goldfield Merger Mines Company, Reorganized Blue Bull Mining Company, C.O.D. Consolidated Mines Company, Goldfield Combination Mining Company, Milltown Mining Company, five claims of the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company, and other small parcels of ground in the Goldfield Mining District. The merger, totaling 600 acres and 36 patented claims, was prompted by a need to secure funds for deep mining as well as sufficient ground to cover the entire vein system. Officers for the company were A. I. D'Arcy, president, Corrin Barnes, vice president, H. G. McMahon, secretary-treasurer, Benjamin J. Henley and Edward Lembcke directors, and Elmer Burt, superintendent.

Development continued through the 1920s and into the 1930s. The late 1920s, though, proved a challenging time for the company due to the Great Depression. Heavy reliance on stockholders for the funding of operations meant that during those years the company was forced to implore stockholders to pay assessments in a timely fashion and even give stockholders an option to purchase additional stock. The Company sent numerous letters to both current and former stockholders in an attempt to raise funds to continue mining operations. Even facing the Great Depression, the company was able to sink both old and new shafts below the 2100-foot level. New shafts were sunk in an attempt to reach more of the main vein as well as ore shoots.

In the late 1930s, the Eastern Exploration Company, a subsidiary of the Michigan-based Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, entered into a lease of some of the major mines held by the Deep Mines Company, including the Laguna Mine. The Deep Mines Company received royalties from this lease allowing them to continue operations in the Goldfield Mining District. The Company ceased underground mining operations in 1959.

Extent

8.75 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Incorporated on May 26, 1920, the Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada was a merger of 6 Goldfield Mining District companies as well as other claims and land parcels in the Goldfield District. The merger, totaling 600 acres and 36 patented claims, was prompted by a need to secure funds for deep mining as well as sufficient ground to cover the entire vein system. The collection contains stockholder information, some financial, and some operational materials that document company operations from 1919-1942.

Arrangement

Arranged into the following series: 1) Stockholders; 2) Financial; 3) Operations

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Goldfield Deep Mines Company of Nevada Records were received in April 1989 as part of a group of papers that had previously been stored in the Goldfield Hotel.

Three documents, purchased and added to the collection in January 2018, were received in a lot of miscellaneous Goldfield, Nevada documents from Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC.

Related Materials

Related archival materials held by the UNR Special Collections Department:

2017-05: Reorganized Atlanta Mining Company Records 2017-09: Goldfield Merger Mines Company Records 2017-10: Reorganized Blue Bull Mining Company Records 2017-24: C.O.D. Consolidated Mining Company Records