Hercules Mine, Idaho
Encyclopedia
The Hercules Mine was one of the richest lead/silver mines in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains
in Burke, Idaho
. It was discovered by Henry L. Day, a bookkeeper and clerk, and Fred Harper, a local prospector. In 1923 the mine owners founded the Day Mines, Inc. company. Other investors in the mine include August Paulsen
, Levi Hutton, and May Arkwright Hutton
. It eventually became the primary mine of the Hecla Mining Corporation.
The original owners of this mine all shared a unique history together, all started out as pro union or involved with the 1899 explosion at the Bunker and Sullivan.
Levi "Al" Hutton was the engineer on the train used to move explosive from the frisco mine, to the concentrator. He claimed at gun point.
May Arkwright Hutton
wrote a book about the horrible treatment of the miners at the hands of the mine owners, and the treatment of her husband at the hands of the sheriff/mine owners in her book. The coeur d' alenes: or, A Tale of the Modern Inquisition in Idaho. After the bonanza at the Hercules she spent the rest of her life buying all of the copies back that she could.
Ed Boyce
, also an early investor, was president of the Western Federation of Miners
in 1899. Boyce later hit it rich with the bonanza at the Hercules silver mine. He quit his post with the labor union and opened a fancy hotel.
, who would later become a convicted assassin. Famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow
argued during the Bill Haywood
trial that Orchard was bitter about losing his one-sixteenth share of the Hercules Mine due to a declaration of martial law during a labor dispute. Darrow argued that this bitterness motivated Orchard to assassinate former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg
. Orchard denied the charge, claiming that leaders of the Western Federation of Miners
hired him to commit the murder, but the defense produced witnesses who testified that Orchard had vowed to commit the murder out of personal revenge. Haywood and other WFM leaders were found innocent; Orchard was found guilty and received the death penalty, although his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Coeur d'Alene Mountains
The Coeur d'Alene Mountains are the northwestern-most portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the northern Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States....
in Burke, Idaho
Burke, Idaho
Burke is a ghost town in Burke-Canyon in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. Once a thriving silver and lead town, it is now far smaller than at its height. In 2002, about 300 people lived in or nearby Burke Canyon...
. It was discovered by Henry L. Day, a bookkeeper and clerk, and Fred Harper, a local prospector. In 1923 the mine owners founded the Day Mines, Inc. company. Other investors in the mine include August Paulsen
August Paulsen
August Paulsen was a Danish-American businessman noted for his philanthropy in the states of Washington and Idaho.-Background:August Paulsen was a Danish immigrant, who arrived in America at the age of nineteen...
, Levi Hutton, and May Arkwright Hutton
May Arkwright
May Hutton née Arkwright was a suffrage leader in the early history of the Pacific Northwest of the United States....
. It eventually became the primary mine of the Hecla Mining Corporation.
The original owners of this mine all shared a unique history together, all started out as pro union or involved with the 1899 explosion at the Bunker and Sullivan.
Levi "Al" Hutton was the engineer on the train used to move explosive from the frisco mine, to the concentrator. He claimed at gun point.
May Arkwright Hutton
May Arkwright
May Hutton née Arkwright was a suffrage leader in the early history of the Pacific Northwest of the United States....
wrote a book about the horrible treatment of the miners at the hands of the mine owners, and the treatment of her husband at the hands of the sheriff/mine owners in her book. The coeur d' alenes: or, A Tale of the Modern Inquisition in Idaho. After the bonanza at the Hercules she spent the rest of her life buying all of the copies back that she could.
Ed Boyce
Ed Boyce
Ed Boyce was president of the Western Federation of Miners, a radical American labor organizer, socialist and hard rock mine owner.-Early life:...
, also an early investor, was president of the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
in 1899. Boyce later hit it rich with the bonanza at the Hercules silver mine. He quit his post with the labor union and opened a fancy hotel.
Harry Orchard as owner
One of the early owners of the Hercules Mine was Harry OrchardAlbert Horsley
Albert Edward Horsley , best known by the pseudonym Harry Orchard, was a miner convicted of the 1905 political assassination of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg...
, who would later become a convicted assassin. Famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
argued during the Bill Haywood
Bill Haywood
William Dudley Haywood , better known as "Big Bill" Haywood, was a founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World , and a member of the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America...
trial that Orchard was bitter about losing his one-sixteenth share of the Hercules Mine due to a declaration of martial law during a labor dispute. Darrow argued that this bitterness motivated Orchard to assassinate former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He is perhaps best known for his 1905 assassination by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association...
. Orchard denied the charge, claiming that leaders of the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
hired him to commit the murder, but the defense produced witnesses who testified that Orchard had vowed to commit the murder out of personal revenge. Haywood and other WFM leaders were found innocent; Orchard was found guilty and received the death penalty, although his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
See also
- Harry OrchardAlbert HorsleyAlbert Edward Horsley , best known by the pseudonym Harry Orchard, was a miner convicted of the 1905 political assassination of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg...
- Bill HaywoodBill HaywoodWilliam Dudley Haywood , better known as "Big Bill" Haywood, was a founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World , and a member of the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America...
for more about Harry Orchard - James McParlandJames McParlandJames McParland,There are various spellings of James McParland's name. His stenographer, Morris Friedman, wrote a book about him — as "McParland." The Pinkerton Labor Spy, New York, Wilshire Book Co., 1907). also known as James McParlan,The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor...
for more about Harry Orchard - Ed BoyceEd BoyceEd Boyce was president of the Western Federation of Miners, a radical American labor organizer, socialist and hard rock mine owner.-Early life:...