Scope and Contents
The collection contains corporate records, financial ledgers, and correspondence.
A scrapbook contains articles of incorporation, by-laws, minutes, and oath of directors (1927). Also available is the final liquidation papers of Cornucopia Mines, 1942.
There are two ledgers from 1919 consisting of information regarding operations, escrow agreements, supplies and assets, milling expenses, equipment, marketing expenses, compressing expenses, black smith shop, stable, powerplant, machine shop, assay office, and boarding house.
A ledger from 1918-1926 consists of financial information including checks issued, audited vouchers, statements, chance operation, union operation, and chance production.
A ledger from 1927-1941 contains information regarding cash, vouchers, U.S. and foreign patents, payroll, common stock, and preferred stock.
A fifth ledger from 1927-1941 contains financial information such as cash, liabilities, expense accounts, and exploration supplies.
There is also correspondence from 1934-1935.
Correspondents include Earl Shell, W. H. Richardson, D. W. Green, Fred L. Mills, Robert M. Betts, W. J. Barnes, Stanford Fence company, Bert Gibs, Walter blackburn, Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine company, Bureau of Labor, State Industrial Accident Commission, U.S. Bank of Portland, Joshua Hendy Iron Works, McDougal-Guthrie company, R. M. Peterson, Black Butte Mine Inc., Black Butte Stores, and Reconstruction Finance corporation.
Dates
- 1918-1942
Creator
- Cornucopia Mines Co. (Or.) (Organization)
- Baker Mines Co. (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
The Cornucopia Mines company of Oregon was incorporated July 30, 1927 by Robert W. Betts, Blaine Hallock, and James H. Nichols as a successor company to the Baker Mines Co., and it continued the ledgers of the earlier firm.
According to Oregongold.net "Cornucopia Mines was located 15 miles north of Halfway, Oregon. Gold was first discovered in Cornucopia in 1884 by a man by the name of Lon Simmons. More than sixteen mines riddled the area and it produced 300,000 ounces of gold. Like many mines during world war II, Cornucopia was closed down because it was deemed non-essential mining in the fight against Japan and Germany.
In the old days, horses were used to move the ore, but then the railroad was laid and the invention of the pneumatic drill helped the miners to do much better than they did previously. In 1922, the Cornucopia mines received electricity and a twenty-stamp mill was put into operation. It is said that the 20 stamp mill could crush 60 tons of ore per day. Cornucopia Mining Companies employed over 700 men in the early 1900’s. At it’s peak, the Cornucopia Mine was the 6th largest mining operation in the United States."
According to MiningArtifacts.org website: "The Cornucopia Mines company was an industrial operation that required substantial buildings and heavy machinery. The lumber used to build this structure was milled in Baker County, and like the machinery, was taken to Cornucopia by horse-drawn wagon."
A website (bakercounty.net) of Baker County, Oregon lists some of the mines in the company: "The Simmons Mine, the Way Up Mine, Queen of the West, the Robert Emmett, the Union, the Companion (later Union and Companion joined together) the Whitman, the Red Jacket, the Big Tree, the Mayflower, the Wild Irishman, the Contact Vein, and the Last Chance."
Extent
3 linear feet (2 containers) : 2 record storage boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Cornucopia Mines company of Oregon was incorporated July 30, 1927 by Robert W. Betts, Blaine Hallock, and James H. Nichols as a successor company to the Baker Mines company. The collection contains corporate records, financial ledgers, and correspondence, 1918-1941.
Arrangement
Material within this collection may have little to no intellectual or physical arrangement. Any arrangement may have derived from the records' creators or custodians. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.
Processing Information
Collection processed by staff.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal to no organization and rehousing.
Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.
- Articles of incorporation Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Baker Mines Co.
- Bylaws (administrative records) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Cornucopia (Or.) Subject Source: Lcnaf
- Cornucopia Mines Co. (Or.)
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Financial records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Gold mines and mining -- Oregon -- Baker County Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Gold mines and mining -- Oregon -- Cornucopia Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ledgers (account books) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Mines and Mineral Resources Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Scrapbooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Title
- Guide to the Cornucopia Mines Records
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Tanya Parlet and Kira B. Homo.
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
