Historical Notes (excerpts)

Deadwood & Mother Lode Mine:

The discover and early development of the Deadwood Camp which was mainly centered around the Mother Lode Mine is described by O. E. LeRoy of the Geological Survey of Canada as follows;

" In the Deadwood camp the Mother Lode was located on May 23, 1891, by William McCormick and Richard Thompson, the Sunset on June 2 by John East; and the Crown Silver on the same day by William Ingram.  Practically the whole area in the vicinity of the above claims was staked during the subsequent years.  the ores were found to be of a very low grade, though the bodies were apparently of large size.  the self-fluxing qualities of the ore were only discovered at a later period when subjected to metallurgical tests".

Only assessment work was done on the Mother Lode and nearby claims until 1896 when the property was bonded for $14,000 to Col. John Weir, F. L. Underwood and J. F Tichenor, who formed the Boundary Mines Company to develop the deposit.  Surface trenching in the fall of that year and an adit and winze driven in 1897 disclosed the large size of the deposit and led to the formation in March 1898 of the British Columbia Copper Company to bring the Mother Lode Mine into production.  In a remarkably short period of 2 years the company not only brought the mine into production but also constructed a modern smelter just south of Greenwood 2.5 miles to the east.  the first furnace was blown in on February 18,1901.

A report published in 1906 describes the "conditions of labour" at the mine as follows, (Wickware, 1906, p 351) ;

"The rules under which the men are employed are only those necessary to provide the general safety and efficiency and being far from stringent, are rigidly enforced.  All work is done by day labour, the length of shift being 8 hours underground and 9 hours on the surface.  There is no Sunday work done in the mine, and the day and night shifts change over every fourth night.  the mine is run on "open shop" principles, although the Western Federation of Miners is the organization to which most of the men belong.  there has never been a strike.  the men are an exceedingly intelligent body, the foreign element not being present in such large proportion as in most western camps and as the Company takes excellent care of their welfare, any small difference is easily and speedily adjusted.  the change rooms are conceded to be the best in the province, the bunk houses are large, airy and comfortable and the boarding room is run on principle which leaves no room for complaint and which spares no pains to satisfy the men.  The company has built about thirty good sized cottages steam heated and electric lighted, which are left to married men and numerous small cabins, also heated and lighted.  The Company also runs a well stocked general store for the accommodation of the men and there is a well equipped reading room.  Religious services are held every Sunday in the large hall in the boarding house.

Each man pays a dollar a month physician's and hospital fee and in case of accident or ordinary illness contracted while at work has the care of the Company's doctor.  On the whole, the conditions of labour are almost ideal and are in sharp contrast with those in other mining camps in the west"

The Full publication can be purchased only from the Greenwood Museum.