Glendale, Montana Looking east and west.
View from Hecla, Montana looking toward Lion City. Men are staring in the direction of Lion Mountain.
Where it all began.....
The Hecla story dates back very early in Montana’s history, 1872 to be exact. Montana was still a very young territory of about eight years. By an Act of Congress, Montana was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 28, 1864. The name “James Bryant” has become synonymous with the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company and the district that bears it's name.
Not much is known about James Bryant, where he came from or what ultimately became of him, except that his involvement in the discovery would later result in the development of a mining giant we now know as the "Hecla Consolidated Mining Company". Many references were made in early newspapers of the “Trapper District”, but the Trapper District and Bryant Mining District are actually one in the same.
Early discovery
The first discovery in the area occurred in 1872. It is not absolutely clear now whether the original discovery was that of the Forest Queen or the Trapper, however, it’s original discoverers were William Spurr and James A. Bryant. William Spurr was in the Vipond vacinity around 1871 as Raymond Rossiter reported to the Treasury Department in his report submitted in 1872. The Vipond district was discovered by the Vipond Brothers during the latter part of the 1860s and borders the Bryant Mining District, explaining why William Spurr would have been in the area. It has been told that William Spurr recorded the claim in his own name, leaving James Bryant’s name off the record, however records of this actual claim in 1872 have yet to be found.
In the 1872 report of Rossiter, it states that Spurr and others have leads but this dates to 1871 which is earlier than any account previously told of the Bryant Mining District. This report may have been making reference to the Vipond area but quite possibly may have been hinting about the soon to be “Trapper District”. Most of Rossiter’s reports contained information collected the previous year and then submitted for printing in Washington. On his cover letter to the Treasury Department, these reports are almost always dated from the previous year, making the information collected at least one year old. It is possible that the “lead” Rossiter was referring to might have been related to the Bryant Mining District and quite possibly may have been a lead in and around the Vipond District but it is speculation at best.
Regarding the discovery made in the Bryant District, William Spurr made no progress nor did any work on the "original discovery" so the following year the claim was rediscovered by James A. Bryant, Philip J. (Jerry) Grotevant and others. Early in the summer of 1873 when James Bryant, Jerry Grotevant, and other men were in the area on a trapping or hunting expedition, Bryant wanted to relocate a claim he had made the year before with William Spurr along Trapper Ridge. While looking for lost horses, Grotevant picked up a rock to throw at one of the horses and noticed that it contained native silver ore. Other accounts claim that Grotevant was sitting down to rest while he was looking for his lost horses and noticed a rock on the ground containing a bluish color. (It doesn’t make much sense to the author, why a man looking for his horses, would want to throw a rock at them.) As one early account states, these horses had decided to break free from camp due to a swarm of flies resulting in a stampede causing the horses to scatter.
Regardless of the variations of the story, the end result remains the same, Grotevant made the discovery that would forever transform the area into one of the leading silver producing mines of the west. As was the practice, when discoveries were made, miners would hurry to Bannack to have them recorded. While there, these miners would procure shovels, picks, and other supplies which signaled to everyone in town that there was a potential bonanza looming. It was impossible to keep these discoveries hidden and for every man who went to Bannack to record a lode, three men would return with him to prospect. Miners from Bannack and Madison County made up the majority of early discoveries on Lion Hill. Two of these men would eventually catapult the district into one of the most profitable mining districts in the country. Their names were Noah Armstrong and Elias Atkins.
The Forest Queen was discovered on July 3, 1873 along with the Lady Elgin. Both lodes were recorded on July 7th of 1873 by Philip J. Grotevant. These two loads appear to be the earliest recorded lodes of the Bryant Mining District, however, other legends have the “Trapper Mine” as the first discovery. The author having witnessed official records contends that the Forest Queen was discovered and recorded in July of 1873 and the Trapper was discovered and recorded more than a month later that same year. It is likely that Grotevant recorded these two lodes in his own name rather than include the names of his hunting partners as he independently discovered them while hunting for his horses. The only name that appears on the recorded claims of the Lady Elgin and Forest Queen is that of Philip Grotevants.
On August 15th, 1873, The Rocky Mountain Trapper Lode was discovered and recorded the following day by Philip J. Grotevant, James A. Bryant, Parker, McCreary, Sanborn, and DeLorimer. Together, these men formed “The Trapper Company”. Because this recorded lode bears the name of James A. Bryant as the discoverer in addition to others, it is possible that this was the "original discovery" made in 1872 by Bryant and Spurr. As previosly reported, this group of men were on a mission to relocate the original claim made the year before. (The author assumes that James Bryant and P.J. Grotevant would certainly have had disagreements if Grotevant single handedly claimed what was originally, “Bryant’s discovery with Spurr”, the year prior). Though the Forest Queen and Lady Elgin were the first recorded in 1873. It is possible that the Forest Queen and Lady Elgin were discovered prior to the rediscovery of the “Trapper”. Based on recorded documents, this is the most likely scenario.
The Trapper mine was quickly developed by the Trapper Company and was the first in the district to ship ore when, in 1874, 10 tons of ore were sent to San Francisco. In 1875, 101 tons of ore were sent to Freiburg, Germany which yielded 280 ounces of silver per ton. In the following year, 300 tons were sold to Dahler & Armstrong at Glendale which assayed between 130 to 300 ounces to the ton. In newspaper accounts dating to the summer of 1874 (Helena Independent), shows James Bryant, Phillip “Jerry” Grotevant, Charles DeLorimer, Dan Parker, James McCreary, and Noah Sanborn as being partners in the “Trapper Lode”, receiving financial backing from the First National Bank of Helena. They were given the green light to ship as much ore as they were able, to Freiburg for processing. With John Brannagan managing the Trapper Company, the ore was reportedly producing about six hundred dollars to the ton.
Artist rendition of mine workings. Reproduced by Henry Brown, Photographer ca 1879-1880.
Looking down at Lion City, Hecla and Trapper City below. Cleopatra Mine. 1876-1878
Statistics of mines and mining in the states and territories west of the ...? - Page 241
by Rossiter Worthington Raymond, United States. Dept. of the Treasury - Mines and mineral resources - 1877
Bryant or Trapper district.—This district was first brought to notice August, 1873. About that time trappers brought to Bannack specimens of quartz, which, being assayed, proved rich in silver. The fact was communicated first to a limited circle, and soon the whole community was excited, and a stampede ensued. About fifty lodes have been recorded, nearly all of which, so far as they have been developed, promise to produce a considerable proportion of ore rich enough for shipment—a severe test. Bryant (or Trapper) district is situated due north from Bannack 35 or 40 miles. Between the two are Rattlesnake and Birch Creek districts. The rock in Bryant district is said to be wholly dolomitic limestone, the white mountains of which glisten strikingly in the sun. Some of the lodes are more than 10,000 feet above sea level.
The Trapper lode was finally located on the 10th of August, 1873, by Jerry Grotivant, James A. Bryant, and others, who had gone into that region for the purpose of trapping and for pleasure, and, while hunting for their " cayuses " (Indian ponies) accidentally discovered the outcrop of the vein. The claim has been prospected for its entire length, (15,000.) The strike-vein is north and south; the dip at the surface was almost horizontal, but gradually turned in depth, until it assumed a nearly vertical position. The main shaft is 13 by J3 feet in size and 150 feet deep. The width of the crevice is uniformly 13J feet. There is one tunnel 6 by 7 feet and 290 feet in length, connected with the bottom of the shaft. An ore-house is built at the mouth of the tunnel 32 feet by 26 feet. The ore is reported to be u rough, tinged with varied colors,
and containing silver, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, sulphur, and manganese.''
In 1873 there was snipped to the Bank ot California 10 tons, of which the assay-value returned was 140 ounces of silver per ton. In 1874, 101 tons were shipped to Freiberg, Germany, which assayed there 280 ounces per ton. In 1875, 300 tons were sold on the dump to Dahler & Armstrong, of Glendale, Montana, which assayed from 130 to 300 ounces per ton. Fifty tons of first-class ore remain on the dump and about 3,000 tons of second-class ore, valued at 80 ounces in silver per ton. Thousands of tons are said to be in sight in the mine. The Dubuque lode, owned by Messrs. Terrel, Wilcox, and others, has one shaft 30 feet deep and one level 30 feet. The vein is 5 feet wide. Seventy-five tons were sold to Dahler & Armstrong on the dump, at an assay-value of 90 ounces per ton. The Minnie Gaffney, owned by Owen Gaffney, has a shaft 60 feet deep, 6 feet by 7 feet, and a four-foot vein. No sale of ore has been made. There are 75 tons on the dump. An assay of sampled ore gives 40 ounces silver and 60 per cent. lead, and zinc, copper, antimony, and arsenic in various proportions, Mr. Gaffney is working eight hands at present. The Lady Elgin, owned by Messrs. De Lorimer, Forney, and others, is but little developed. One shaft is 30 feet deep. The ore-vein is 18 inches in width. The assay-value of the ore on the dump is 50 ounces silver per ton. The Forest Queen is owned by Messrs. Keppler, Graster, and others.
The vein of ore is 8 inches wide, and assays 300 ounces silver per ton. There is one shaft 23 feet deep and 5 by 7 feet in size.
I took this image in October 2015 while visiting Reykjavik, Iceland.
Noah Armstrong named his mining company, "Hecla Consolidated Mining Company" in honor of the Hekla Volcano which drove his ancestors from Iceland during an eruption. Many families migrated to Canada. Noah kept a painting of the Hecla "Hekla" volcano on his office door in Glendale. I was fortunate to acquire this painting from Charles and Harriett Turner in Seattle. They were the grand children of Noah Armstrong.
Painted by Emma Armstrong Turner as a young lady in Minnesota.