Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited
Encyclopedia
Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting & Power Company, Limited (also known as Granby Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company, Granby Copper & Granby Mining Company Ltd was a publicly traded company that owned and operated the Phoenix Mine
in the community of Phoenix
in the Boundary Country
region of British Columbia
, Canada
in the early and mid 20th century.
, and mining promoter J. P. Graves (of Knob Hill Mining Company) and A. L. Little (of Old Ironsides), formed the Miner-Graves Syndicate. In 1899, they incorporated The Granby Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, Limited and, in 1901, consolidated under The Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited. at the Knob Hill annual meeting. It was founded after an agreement was reached by the directors
of Knob Hill, Ironsides, Grey Eagle and Granby Smelter Company. The company was formed with $15,000,000, of which $2,900,000 was held in Treasury stock
.
. The underground operation utilized a square-set mining method, but by 1901 had converted to an open stope and pillar
method with considerable cost savings. The operation maintained a completely unsupported
"show stope" which with dimensions of 80 feet (24 m) high, 105 feet (32 m) wide, and 400 feet (122 m) long. In 1903 the mine operated three small steam shovel
s to work in the surface operations producing half of the mines production, this made up one of the earliest attempts at open pit mining in British Columbia. The mine reopened in 1959 and closed in 1976.
Phoenix Mine
Phoenix Mine was an open pit and underground mining operation in city of Phoenix in the Boundary Country region of British Columbia, Canada that operated in the early and mid 20th century, run by the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited. It was discovered in 1891, but was...
in the community of Phoenix
Phoenix, British Columbia
Phoenix is a ghost town in the Boundary Country of British Columbia, Canada, 11 km east of Greenwood. Once called the “highest city in Canada” by its citizens it was a booming copper mining community from the late 1890s until 1919...
in the Boundary Country
Boundary Country
The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in...
region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early and mid 20th century.
Formation
In 1896 S. H. C. Miner, a rubber footwear manufacturer from Granby, QuebecGranby, Quebec
Granby is a city in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 47,637. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the fifth most populated city in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Brossard and...
, and mining promoter J. P. Graves (of Knob Hill Mining Company) and A. L. Little (of Old Ironsides), formed the Miner-Graves Syndicate. In 1899, they incorporated The Granby Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, Limited and, in 1901, consolidated under The Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited. at the Knob Hill annual meeting. It was founded after an agreement was reached by the directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Knob Hill, Ironsides, Grey Eagle and Granby Smelter Company. The company was formed with $15,000,000, of which $2,900,000 was held in Treasury stock
Treasury stock
A treasury stock or reacquired stock is stock which is bought back by the issuing company, reducing the amount of outstanding stock on the open market ....
.
Phoenix Mine
Granby operated the Phoenix Mine, which comprised both an underground mine and open pit mineOpen-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
. The underground operation utilized a square-set mining method, but by 1901 had converted to an open stope and pillar
Room and pillar
Room and pillar is a mining system in which the mined material is extracted across a horizontal plane while leaving "pillars" of untouched material to support the roof overburden leaving open areas or "rooms" underground...
method with considerable cost savings. The operation maintained a completely unsupported
Rock mechanics
Rock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science of the mechanical behaviour of rock and rock masses;also compared to the geology, it is that branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock and rock masses to the force fields of their physical environment.Rock mechanics itself forms...
"show stope" which with dimensions of 80 feet (24 m) high, 105 feet (32 m) wide, and 400 feet (122 m) long. In 1903 the mine operated three small steam shovel
Steam shovel
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. They played a major role in public works in the 19th and early 20th century, being key to the construction of railroads...
s to work in the surface operations producing half of the mines production, this made up one of the earliest attempts at open pit mining in British Columbia. The mine reopened in 1959 and closed in 1976.
Legacy
The company name lends itself to the self-dumping Granby car, that originated at the Phoenix mine. Based on a wooden car, the Granby car in its present form was first introduced in 1905 when twenty 10-ton steel cars were built for use on the main haulage levels.- The Granby RiverGranby RiverThe Granby River is a tributary of the Kettle River in British Columbia, Canada, joining the Kettle just north of the US-Canada border at the town of Grand Forks...
is named for the company. Granby Provincial ParkGranby Provincial ParkGranby Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located north of Grand Forks and contains the northern portion of the Granby River. The park is 408.45 km² in size....
, flanking that river's upper reaches, was named for the river. - The name of Granisle, British ColumbiaGranisle, British ColumbiaGranisle is a village on Babine Lake in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, to the north of Topley between Burns Lake and Houston.- History :...
, a former mining town on Babine LakeBabine LakeBabine Lake is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada.Babine Lake is located northeast of the town of Burns Lake in central British Columbia, some west northwest of the city of Prince George. It is long, wide, and has a net area of and a total area of...
, also derives from that of the company via its subsidiary Granisle Copper Ltd. - Granby Point, Granby Bay and the Granby Peninsula near Anyox on Observatory InletObservatory InletObservatory Inlet is an inlet on the North Coast of British Columbia. It is a northward extension of Portland Inlet, other sidewaters of which include the Portland Canal. The entrance of Observatory Inlet, from Portland Inlet, lies between Ramsden Point and Nass Point. Ramsden Point also marks, to...
are named for the company.