Historical Notes (excerpts)

PHOENIX

The beginning of the mining operations at Phoenix is described by O. E. LeRoy who made a geological survey of the area in 1908 (LeRoy, 1912, p.14) as follows:

"During the summer of that year (1891) the prospectors crossed the present site of Phoenix, and the first discovery was made by Henry White who staked the Knob Hill claim on July 15, on an ore-cropping near the present 'glory hole' on that claim.  White's partner, Matthew Hotter, located the Old Ironsides, which adjoins Knob Hill and named both claims, the former after a gun boat which figured in the Civil war of the United States, and the latter after Knob Hill, a residential quarter of San Francisco.

During the season of 1891, most of the ground which was since been found to contain valuable ore bodies was located.  the Stemwinder was staked by James Atwood and James Schofield about July 25, and the fraction between it and Old Ironsides, two days later by Edward Lefebvre.  It was known as the Silver King, and after being allowed to lapse was relocated by Robert Dengler as the Phoenix from which the city was named.

The next discovery was made by Joseph Taylor and Stephen Mangott who located the Brooklyn on July 31.  A few days later Robert Dengler and William Douglas located the North Star, (now the Idaho), and about the same time George Rumberger discovered the ground at present covered by the Snowshoe, Rawhide and Monarch.  He, with Taylor and Mangott, staked three claims (600 by 1500 feet), on which considerable surface work was done, but the assessments were never recorded and the claims were allowed to lapse.  The War Eagle was located by Dengler and Douglas during the latter part of August.

In 1891 When the first locations were made, the Mining Act of British Columbia permitted the size of claim to be 600 by 1500 feet, with extra lateral rights.  In 1892, this Act was repealed and the size of claims changed to 1500 by 1500 feet with vertical side lines.  At this time the base of supplies was Marcus, the State of Washington, about 75 miles distant.  the pack trail followed the valley of the Kettle River, connecting with the Dewdney Trail at Grand Forks, from which a branch trail was built to Phoenix.

In 1896 the Miner-Graves Syndicate commenced work on the Old Ironsides-Knob hill ore body, and preparations were made later on for the building of a smelter at Grand forks.  By purchase and consolidation the original company became the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, controlling the most important group of mines at Phoenix, with a smelter and converting plant at Grand Forks.  he first shipment of ore was made in July 1900, and the first furnace blown in on August 21 of that year.  The camp was known as the Greenwood camp until 1898 when the first post office was established at Phoenix: the latter name, however, has had a partial recognition since 1895.  It was incorporated as a city in 1900.  The Canadian Pacific Railway extended its line into Phoenix in 1898, and the Great Northern in 1904."

Mines of the Granby Company soon dominated production from the Phoenix Camp.  Mining began on the Knob Hill, Old Ironsides, Victoria, Aetna, Fourth of July, and Phoenix claims which are within the area of the present pit, but the company soon acquired others notably, in 1905, the Gold Drop group to the east which included the Gold Drop and Monarch claims and soon the added others which were adjacent.  By 1912 the Granby Smelter had become the largest in the British Empire, and second largest copper smelter in the world.  In 1914, after considerable mining by the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, Granby acquired the Snowshoe and adjacent claims which they mined until 1918.

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