Special Collections & Archives
Manuscript Group 289
Western Union Mining Company
Records, 1917-1951
4.5 cubic feet
The records of the Western Union Mining Company are part of the records of Day Mines, Inc., donated to the University of Idaho by Henry Day in 1984 and 1985. Initial processing of this manuscript group was done by Lena M. Johnson in October 1987, with funds provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Processing was completed by Judith Nielsen in June 1992.
COMPANY HISTORY
The Aurora Sampson Mining Company and the H.E.M. Mining Company, holders of adjoining properties including a large group of claims and a millsite on Revenue Gulch in Evolution Mining District, Shoshone County, Idaho, about two miles west of Wallace, merged early in 1916 to form the Western Union Mining Company, as incorporated under the laws of the state of Idaho. The first set of directors for the new company included D.H. Anderson, J.E. Burbank, William Bjorklund, George Allen, William Holm, Erick Hagman and Russell F. Collins, essentially the group which would run the company for its first eight years. A considerable amount of galena lead ore was extracted, with the years 1921-1923 showing the highest profit. In addition to working the mine and a millsite, Western Union leased property on what was known as The Western Union Townsite, later Silverton, Idaho.
The Western Union Mining Company continued to develop and operate its property until the lead market became unfavorable. Thereafter portions of the land were worked and mined by lessors. About 1923 the Hercules Mining Co. began purchasing all available stock in the Western Union company. The discovery that the Western Union secretary Ben L. Collins had sold all his stock and advised his friends to do the same led to a public quarrel among the Western Union directors. By 1924 Hercules had obtained enough Western Union stock to be able to take control of the company and install a new board of directors including Harry L. Day, Jerome J. Day, August Paulsen, L.W. Hulton, and Frank M. Rothrock. M.H. Sullivan and Herman J. Rossi were carried over from the old board, apparently because of their connections at the Bunker Hill Smelter and their contract with Western Union.
For the next twenty-three years the Western Union Mining Company operated mainly by leasing out its property, including claims and tunnels for mining, timberland for logging, property for the operation of a fish hatchery, and the Western Union Townsite for residential development. In 1930 the Western Union bought out one of their lessors, The Wilbur Mining Company, and took over that firm's remaining property.
In 1934 Western Union decided to abandon twenty-seven unpatented mines in order to avoid the expense of annual assessment work. Western Union Mining Company stock was dropped from the Standard Stock Exchange of Spokane in 1939. The Western Union Mining Company continued to exist until 1947 when it merged with other companies to become Day Mines, Inc.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The records of the Western Union Mining Company span the years 1916-1951, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1922-1947. Included are minutes of meetings and related material, general correspondence with stockholders and suppliers, annual statements and reports to state agencies, records relating to stock assessments and transfers, stock ledgers and a stock journal, financial ledgers and other related material, records of silver shipments, assays and ore settlements, and employee time books and payrolls.
ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION
The records of the Western Union Mining Company are divided into five series.
The first series, Records of the Board of Directors and the Stockholders, includes minutes of the meetings and other records such as financial statements, proxy statements, lists of stockholders, proofs of publication and reports of elections for officers and directors.
General Correspondence and Related Records, the second series, is an alphabetical file containing, in addition to correspondence, agreements, annual reports to state agencies, audits, contracts, deeds, leases and other legal documents, and lists of stockholders.
The third series is Capital Stock Records. Included are correspondence with stockholders regarding assessments and stock transfers, an assessment journal, several stock ledgers and a stock journal, and capital stock tax returns.
Financial records comprise the fourth series. Included are a ledger for the Western Union townsite, a financial ledger, financial statements, appraisals, and correspondence concerning the company's 1922 corporate income tax return.
The fifth series, Ore Production and Shipment Records, contains records of silver shipments, assays, and ore settlement sheets
The final series is Personnel Records, which includes employee time books, an employee earning ledger, payrolls for the years 1922-1927, and workmen's compensation reports filed with the Aetna Insurance Company.
SERIES LIST
I. Records of the Board of Directors and Stockholders, 1916-1946 1 II. General Correspondence and Related Records, 1917-1951 1-2 III. Capital Stock Records, 1916-1947 2-3 IV. Financial Records, 1922-1947 3-4 V. Ore Production and Shipment Records, 1920-1927 4 V. Personnel Records, 1922-1927 4-5
WESTERN UNION MINING COMPANY
INVENTORY
Box Folder Description
I. Records of the Board of Directors and Stockholders, 1916-1946
1 1 Minute book, 1916-1925 2 Minutes, 1925-1946 3-6 Records related to meetings, 1924-1937
II. General Correspondence and Related Records, 1917-1951
7 Agreements, Sales, 1940 8 Annual reports, Idaho, 1924-1947 9 Annual reports, Securities and Exchange Commission, 1935-1940 10 Annual statements, Idaho, 1924-1947 11 Assessment work, Western Union, 1922-1931 12 Assessment work, Wilbur mine, 1926-1930 13 Audits, 1917-1923 14 B-C, 1938-1954 15 Contracts, Hospital, 1922-1925 16 Contract, Morris Howard logging, 1934-1940 17 D, 1938-1954 18 Deeds, Lots, 1941-1949 19 E-F, 1941-1947 20 Federal Housing Administration, 1940-1951 21 Fire Insurance, 1941-1943 22 G-M, 1927-1947 23-25 Leases and other legal documents, 1918-1930 26 Mackey, Larry, contractor, 1939 27 Miscellaneous, 1923-1935 28 N-R, 1933-1947 29 Rothrock, F.M., 1921-1926 30 S, 1929-1941 31 Securities and Exchange Commission, 1939 2 32 Smelter contract, Proposed, 1922-1923 33 Spokane Stock Exchange, 1934 34 Stockholders lists, 1924-1925 35 T-U, 1938-1947 36 U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1937-1947 37 V-W, 1932-1947 38 Wage and Hour Division, 1939; Water rights, 1928; Western Sanitation Corps, 1938-1943; Western Union Townsite Sewer System, 1941
III. Capital Stock Records, 1916-1947
39-41 Correspondence related to stock transfers and assessments: Assessment #1, 1923-1924 42-45 Assessment #2, 1924-1925 46-48 Assessment #3, 1925 49-51 Assessments, 1926-1930 52-54 Assessments, 1932-1937 55 Assessment 13, 1933 56 Assessment 14, 1937 os 57 Assessment journal, assessments 6-14, 1924-1937 3 58 Stock ledger, 1916-1922 59 Stock ledger, 1916-1925 60 Stock ledger, 1917-1925 61 Stock ledger, 1918-1942 62 Stock journal, 1916-1917 63 Stock journal, 1925-1947 64 Capital stock tax returns, 1917-1918; 1925-1926
IV. Financial Records, 1922-1947
65 Western Union Townsite Ledger, 1922-1947 4 66 Financial ledger, 1922-1924 67 Financial statements, 1924-1947 68 Monthly treasurers reports, 1922-1923 69 Outstanding bills, 1923-1924 70-71 Appraisals, 1931-1937 72 Corporate income tax for 1922, 1922-1926 73 Property taxes, 1917-1919 74 Property relief act, 1931 75 H.E.M. Mining Company bond, 1912-1918 76 Hercules bills, 1926-1930 77 Vouchers, 1927-1930 78 Bank deposit books, 1923-1927 79 Check stubs, 19l6-1947
V. Ore Production & Shipment Records, 1920-1927
80 Silver shipments and summaries, 1921-1923 81 Assays, 1922-1926 82 Settlements, 1920-1927
V. Personnel Records, 1922-1927
83-84 Employee time books, 1925-1926 85 Employee earning ledger, 1926 5 86-89 Payrolls, 1922-1927 90 Workmen's compensation reports, 1925-1926
mg289.htm / March 1995
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