Happy Day Mining Company Records, 1899-1947

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Happy Day Mining Company
Title
Happy Day Mining Company Records
Dates
1899-1947 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 cubic foot
Collection Number
MG277 (collection)
Summary
Minutes of meetings, financial statements, correspondence with stockholders, financial statements, reports to state agencies, a stock ledger, stock audits, assessment records, a financial ledger and cashbook, a voucher register, tax returns, and other records of a mine in the Coeur d'Alene mining region of northern Idaho.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funds for processing were provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the U.S. Department of Education HEA Title II-C "Strengthening Research Library Resources" program, the Library Associates of the University of Idaho and other donors.
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

In 1899 a group of business persons, among them Eugene R. Day, founded the Happy Day Mining Company Limited, establishing themselves as a mining corporation with articles of incorporation and by-laws. The company's main business was to have been the mining of 115.3 acres of land (worth about $580) consisting of the Happy Day, Grey Eagle, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, and Snowslide lodes located just northeast of the Hercules mine.

On October 4, 1899 the stockholders of Happy Day met for the first time, elected directors, approved by-laws, and made plans to issue certificates of stock.

In 1901 Happy Day made the first assessment on its capital stock to raise money for development of the claim. Again in 1902 and 1903 Happy Day levied assessments for the same purpose. In all, Happy Day levied a total of nineteen assessments between 1901 and 1944.

Although the record is not entirely clear, there seems to have been a small amount of work started around 1903. The minutes are consistent from 1899 to 1915 and show that only a small amount of work was ever accomplished--a tunnel of approximately fifty to one-hundred feet in length. Most meetings were held only to elect directors and officers and to levy assessments.

From 1915 to 1924 there exists in the records a gap, during which time the charter of the corporation lapsed. In 1924 three members of the board of directors met again to elect new officers, approve a loan for $600 to pay debts, and plan for the reinstatement of Happy Day as a corporation in Idaho. At this meeting Henry L. Day was elected a director and vice-president of the corporation to fill the unexpired term of Eugene R. Day, who died in 1922.

From 1925 to 1947 it appears that the stockholders and board of directors met only to levy assessments and elect directors and officers. The tax returns of Happy Day indicate that it was "non-productive" and had "no income." The stockholders met in 1947 and voted to approve a resolution calling for the consolidation of Happy Day with nine other mining companies. These companies plus two others merged to form Day Mines, Inc. on October 1, 1947. Of the six directors of Happy Day in 1947, four (Henry L. Day, F.M. Rothrock, R.W. Anno, and S.F. Heitfeld) became officers of Day Mines. Stockholders in Happy Day received seven shares of Day Mines, Inc. for each one thousand shares of Happy Day.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records of the Happy Day Mining Company span the years 1899 to 1947, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1910 to 1947. Included are minutes of meetings, financial statements, correspondence with stockholders, annual statements and reports to state agencies, a stock ledger, assessment records, lists of stockholders, a financial ledger and cashbook, a voucher register, and tax returns.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The records of Happy Day are divided into five series.

The first series, Records of the Board of Directors and the Stockholders, includes a bound volume of minutes, 1899-1947, which also contains the articles of incorporation, by-laws, notices of meetings, notices of assessments, and proofs of publication. A folder of related material contains notes from meetings, copies of the minutes, including the last stockholders meeting (September 23, 1947) which is not recorded in the bound volume. Also included are notices of meetings, lists of stockholders, ballots, reports on elections, proxies, notices of assessments, and correspondence with stockholders. Annual report balance sheets and a file of the correspondence of Daniel Morgan, president of the company, 1912-1924, also form part of this series.

General Correspondence and Related Records, the second series, contains an alphabetical file of correspondence with stockholders, annual reports to the state of Idaho, stock lists, contracts, and agreements.

The third series is Capital Stock Records. Included are a stock ledger, stock audits, records relating to assessments, including correspondence, lists of delinquent stock and proofs of publication.

The fourth series, Financial Records, contains a stock ledger, cashbook, voucher journal, bank statements, and receipts and invoices for supplies, printing, and work done under contract.

Tax Records, the final series, consists of property tax receipts for the years 1912-1931 and Corporation Income Tax returns for the state of Idaho for the years 1923-1947.

Removal of cancelled stock certificates, returned assessment notices, vouchers, and duplicate materials reduced the size of this collection by 3 cubic feet.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Happy Day Mining Company are part of the records of Day Mines, Inc., donated to the University of Idaho by Henry Day in 1984 and 1985.

Processing Note

Initial processing of this manuscript group was done by Gregory Eisenlein in May 1987.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I. Records of the Board of Directors and the Stockholders , 1899-1947Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Minute book
1899-1947
1/2
Records related to meetings
1924-1947
1/3
Financial statements
1912; 1931-1947
1/4
Correspondence of Daniel Morgan, President
1912-1924

Series II. General Correspondence and Related Records , 1899-1947Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/5-8
Correspondence, A-Z
1912-1947
1/9
Annual reports to the State of Idaho
1913; 1924-1947
1/10
Miscellaneous
1899-1936

Series III. Capital Stock Records , 1899-1947Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/11
Stock ledger
1899-1947
1/12
Stock audits
1899-1925
1/13-15
Records relating to assessments
1912-1944

Series IV. Financial Records , 1912-1947Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/16
Financial ledger
1932-1947
1/17
Cashbook
1912-1927
1/18
Voucher journal
1932-1947
1/19
Bank statements
1912-1927
1/20
Miscellaneous receipts and invoices
1913-1932

Series V. Tax Records , 1911-1947Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/21
Federal tax returns
1911-1947

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mining corporations -- Records -- Idaho -- Coeur d'Alene Mining District

Corporate Names

  • Happy Day Mining Company