CHAIN O' MINES RECORDS

Collection

Identifier: WH451

Staff Only

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection spans 1928-1934 and comprises administrative documents, correspondence and records of financial transactions. The bulk of the collection consists of monthly financial reports and summaries. Ten ledgers document financial activities and transactions in the mill account, the company store account and the Chain O' Mines hotel account. Payroll documents, assay reports, contracts and agreements are also included.

Administrative correspondence between E. A. Hart and Joe Yoder provides insights into day-to-day problems that resulted from absentee ownership. Monthly report summaries, particularly reports of materials received, offer a wealth of operational details that go beyond a simple recording of expenses and receipts.

SERIES 1 ADMINISTRATION 1929-1934 BOX 1

The series comprises quotes, contracts and service agreements for the consumable products and supplies used in daily mine operations. Daily and monthly operations reports, memos, and company brochures are also included. Correspondence included in this series is primarily comprised of letters received by company officials.

SERIES 2 FINANCES 1929-1934 BOX 1

The bulk of the series comprises groups of monthly financial reports. They contain mine superintendent's reports, mill superintendent's reports, summaries of receipts and expenditures, production reports, payroll summaries and other operational details. The series also includes assay reports, registers of materials received, payroll and petty cash reports, statements and cancelled checks.

SERIES 3 OVERSIZE 1928-1934 OVBOX 1-3, OVFF1-5

Seven ledgers document receipts and expenses for the mill account as well as for the store account and the Chain O' Mines Hotel. Sections for supplies, freight, petty cash, payroll and other operating expenses are included in the ledgers.

Five oversize folders comprise additional accounting sheets listing details of contract expenses, purchase and milling of custom ore, records of gold bonds, bank transactions and payroll.

Dates

1928-1934

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Chain O' Mines was organized in 1928 by Chicago dentist, William M. Muchow, who purchased the Glory Hole mine near Central City, Colorado as part of his plan to produce gold for use in dentistry. Subsequently, Muchow purchased additional claims located along Quartz Hill, approximately one mile south of Central City. These consolidated claims became known as "The Patch", which gave the Chain O' Mines control of almost 80% of the potential productive ore in Gilpin County at that time.

On November 14, 1929, the Chain O' Mines purchased several town lots from Central City to serve as a tailings dump for a recently constructed mill. [construction date unknown] The tailings dump soon involved the Chain O' Mines in controversy. In August 1931 five Jefferson County landowners filed suit to curtail dumping. A 1932 trial resulted in an injunction against the mine, which the Colorado Supreme Court upheld in 1934 along with severe production limitations.

Three major tunnels intersected "The Patch", including the famous Argo Tunnel, the LaCrosse and the Quartz Hill. The company also briefly operated an aerial tramway. Portions of the workings still exist today.