Columbia Mines Company records , circa 1901-1929

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Columbia Mines Co.
Title
Columbia Mines Company records
Dates
circa 1901-1929 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.15 linear feet, (2 containers)  :  2 volumes
Collection Number
Bx 103
Summary
The collection contains the record book and the stock certificates book for the Columbia Mines Company.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

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.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Columbia Mines Company was incorporated on April 30, 1901 by L.A. Lewis, J.N. Teal and James G. Wilson in Portland, Oregon. During the initial meeting of the company, L.A. Lewis was elected president and treasurer of the company. He was also the primary stock shareholder. Other directors and shareholders of the company included Anna K. Lewis, William H. Hampton, and J.N. Teal. The company remained in operation mining primarily quartz until 1929, when it was sold to A.W. Yount for the sum of $25,000.

The Columbia Mines Company held lands in northern Josephine and Jackson counties, where it established placer mines in dense mining zones along Grave Creek and other waters to mine quartz, wich required the use of water. At the turn of the century, companies mined quartz from which they extracted gold. Although expensive, this method of mining gold yielded quartz crystals which the mining company could sell for use in jewelry or technology industries. Some of the mines owned by Columbia Mines were placer mines patented and owner A.L. Lewis held much of the Columbia Mines lands in his own name.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Columbia Mines Company records is a small collection consisting of two (2) volumes. The first is a stock certificates book for the company that contains the receipts and the certificates for nine of the twelve stock certificates issued. The certificates were issued to L.A. Lewis, Anna K. Lewis, William H. Hampton, J.N. Teal and A.M. Compton between the years of 1901 and 1913.

The second volume is a Columbia Mines Company records book that contains records, primarily minutes of stockholder and board of directors meetings, dated from April 30, 1901 to 1929. The records book also contains two (2) filing certificates regarding the decrease in capital stock. The minutes include comprehensive descriptions of the lands purchased by the Columbia Mines Company in both Jackson and Josephine Counties, Oregon.

The Columbia Mines Company records is a small collection that does not contain detailed information concerning the mining industry in Oregon at the time. However, it does provide information concerning the business dealings of L.A. Lewis and the company itself. With the exception of meeting minutes which discuss yearly dividends and the issuance of stock certificates, the collection lacks financial records concerning the company.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mining corporations--Oregon
  • Quartz mines and mining--Oregon--Jackson County
  • Quartz mines and mining--Oregon--Josephine County
  • Stock certificates--Oregon

Personal Names

  • Lewis, L. A.

Corporate Names

  • Columbia Mines Co.