Nevada Mining Association

The Nevada Mining Association (NMA) was organized in Tonopah, Nevada, on March 24, 1913 as the Nevada Mine Operators Association under the leadership of John. G. Kirchen, J.E. Sherwin, Albert Burch, George Wingfield, Louis Koontz, W.B. Alexander, Henry M. Hoyt, W.H. Blackburn, A.H. Lawry, Hugh A. Brown, Frederick Bradshaw, and W.S. Norris. By August of that same year, the Association had moved its offices to Reno, where they remain headquartered today.

In 1913 as now, membership consisted of the principle metal producers in Nevada who banded together for protection, mutual cooperation, and assistance. The Association was concerned with the solution to mining and metallurgical problems; legislation, both national and state as it affected the industry; and the bulk procurement of certain commonly used mining commodities such as cyanide. The Association closely monitored Nevada state government and the administration of various commissions. One agency receiving particular attention was the Nevada Industrial Commission, since the Association was for many years the major underwriter of the State Insurance Fund (for example, contributing 80% of the capital in the fund in 1916). From 1913 to the 1960s the NMA was represented on the Commission by one of its members.

The Association recruited its members from Nevada mine owners and operators, with two catagories of membership available: corporate and individual. Corporate members were required to pay an initial fee of $25 to join and monthly dues of a fixed amount for every miner employed during the month. General meetings of the entire membership were held yearly. An executive committee, meeting monthly, gave overall direction to the Association, while the executive secretary (now retitled the executive director) implemented Association policy and managed routine affairs. For much of its history (and throughout much of the period covered by this collection), the executive secretary's position was held by Henry M. Rives, whose personal papers may also be found in the Special Collections Department, and by Louis D. Gordon, whose speeches and reports form a part of this collection.

Scope and Content

The records of the Nevada Mining Association consist of two cubic feet of materials dating from 1913-1975. The records were donated by the Association to the Special Collections Department in May, 1988; there are no restrictions on their use.

The records were divided into seven subgroups, the largest of which are the records proper of the Association. Among the more important of these records are incorporation papers, minutes of the executive committee, membership lists, correspondence, reports, and position statements. These papers provide details on the formation and governance of the Association, and the close interrelationship between the mining industry and government. They furnish an overview of the industry which is not normally available through records of individual mining companies.

Of particular note are the correspondence series and report files. The correspondence includes many letters from Nevada's leaders, most of whose early careers were in mining, including Tasker L. Oddie, Emmet D. Boyle, Patrick McCarran, Key Pittman, and James S. Scrugham. Subjects discussed included legislation affecting the mining industry, advice on many issues, and more personal matters such as attendance at Association events. Correspondence from individuals contains many letters about membership in the Association which provide clues about the general state of the industry, as for example where mine owners either refuse or withdraw their membership because of industry slumps. Other letters responded to inquiries from the executive secretary about their need for commodities such as cyanide. For some time the Association bought large quantities of commonly used supplies at a discount, passing the savings along to members.

The report files are comprehensive on some subjects which are otherwise not readily available. Files on taxation provide statistics on the amount of money paid in taxes by individual mines, including some material on assessments in particular counties. There are a number of yearly reports of wages paid by the mining industry in Nevada and the west; these document wages at individual mines and for the various positions held by miners. Other topics featured in reports include stream pollution, mineral land withdrawals, depletion rates, and open pit mining. Reports about specific mining companies encompass the Mellan Gold Mines, Round Mountain Gold Dredging Corporation, Kennecott Copper Company, and Nevada Consolidated Copper Company.

Another important subgroup of this collection is Subgroup II, the Nevada Industrial Commission. The Commission and the Association shared a mutual interest in the implementation and funding of the workmen's compensation fund; the Commission in its administration and the Association in its funding through assessments of employers. These papers explore this interrelationship through printed copies of legislation enabling the Commission, financial statements, correspondence, a file on accidents, and transcripts of court rulings involving the Commission.

The Association's executive secretary was often prominent in the Nevada community as a whole, serving on a number of public boards and commissions. Subgroup IV, the Silver Centennial Committee, and Subgroup V, the Bicentennial Commission for Nevada were two such boards on which executive secretary Louis D. Gordon served. These subgroups contain bylaws, minutes, correspondence, and financial reports of those two organizations.

The collection includes several small subgroups of note: one on the United Western Miners (ca 1948-1959), and the American Federation of Labor. The former contains mostly correspondence about this "break-away" attempt to form a new miners' union, while the A.F. of L. subgroup contains reports on two annual meetings in 1921 and 1924.

The collection contains only a few photographs; they consist of images of the Kennecott Copper Company operations at McGill, Nevada; the Consolidated Copper Mines Corporation mines at Kimberly, Nevada; a compressor rotor made from titanium from the Titanium Metals Corporation of America; and an unidentified group of men (possibly NMA officials) at a Nevada mine site, ca 1910s. These photos were transferred to the Special Collections photo archives.

The collection also contained a number of printed materials about minerals and mining, including journals from the Nevada Bureau of Mines, and many books. These were transferred to either the Special Collections book stacks or the library's general stacks.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: October 5, 1988

The Nevada Mining Association records have been divided into the following subgroups and series:

Subgroup I - Nevada Mining Association.

Series 1. Minutes.

Series 2. Articles of Association, Membership.

Series 3. Correspondence.

Series 4. Newsletters.

Series 5. Position Statements.

Series 6. N.M.A.-Issued Reports.

Series 7. Miscellaneous Reports.

Series 8. Miscellaneous.

Subgroup II - Nevada Industrial Commission.

Series 1. State Statutes Enabling the Commission.

Series 2. Financial Statements.

Series 3. Correspondence.

Series 4. Accidents.

Series 5. Legal Documents.

Subgroup III - American Institute of Mining Engineers.

Series 1. Proposed Bylaws, Nevada Section.

Series 2. Correspondence.

Series 3. Printed Pamphlets.

Series 4. Annual Meeting Programs, Reports, Roll Call.

Subgroup IV - Silver Centennial Committee.

Series 1. Correspondence, Bylaws, Minutes.

Series 2. Programs.

Series 3. Speech, Cornerstone List, Auditor's Report.

Series 4. U.S.G.S. Monograph on Comstock Mining and Miners.

Subgroup V - Bicentennial Commission for Nevada.

Subgroup VI - United Western Miners.

Subgroup VII - American Federation of Labor.

 

Subgroup I. Nevada Mining Association Records.

Series 1 - 88-43/I/1. Minutes. 1913-1974 (incomplete). Box 1.

This series contains minutes of general and executive committee meetings of the NMA, including the organizational meeting of March 24, 1913. Each set of minutes includes a list of members or officers present, account of discussion of various issues, record of votes cast, and financial statement; a list of members is sometimes attached to the minutes. The minutes of March 24, 1913 also include a discussion of the proposed bylaws and a working draft of those bylaws; several resolutions are also part of this series (upon the death of Henry M. Rives in 1953 and protesting excessive withdrawal of public lands for military use in 1956). Arranged chronologically.

 

Series 2 - 88-43/I/2. Articles of Incorporation; Membership Lists. 1913-1955. Box 1.

This series consists of several undated copies of the articles of incorporation of the Nevada Mining Association; copies of the articles which were signed by new members at the time they joined (and supporting correspondence), and lists of members of the NMA and of various mining districts. Arranged chronologically.

88-43/I/2/1 Articles of incorporation. n.d.

88-43/I/2/2 Articles of incorporation signed by new members. 1933-1942.

88-43/I/2/3 Membership lists. 1914-1955; n.d.

 

Series 3 - 88-43/I/3. Correspondence. 1913-1958. Box 1.

This series includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence and has been further subdivided into four major types of communication: correspondence primarily from NMA members, correspondence from elected public officials, correspondence from The State of Nevada regarding tax matters, and correspondence containing bids to furnish mining supplies to Association members. Especially noteworthy is the correspondence from public officials and letters regarding tax matters, as both illustrate how the association used its clout to negotiate a favorable climate for Nevada mining interests. Many of the correspondents include officials who began their careers in the mining industry as engineers or mine owners and subsequently entered public life, becoming state and U.S. senators, representatives, and governors. Arranged chronologically within each series.

88-43/I/3/1-27. Correspondence. 1913-1958.

88-43/I/3/28-36. Correspondence from elected public officials. 1913-1958.

88-43/I/3/37. Correspondence from the State of Nevada regarding tax matters. 1913-1939.

88-43/I/3/38. Correspondence with bids to furnish mining supplies to NMA members. 1913-1939.

 

Series 4 - 88-43/I/4. Newsletters. 1963; 1966. Box 1.

Included in this series are newsletters published by the association for its members; these do not consist of a complete run for either of the years represented. Arranged chronologically.

 

Series 5 - 88-43/I/5. Position Statements. 1977-1978. Box 1.

This series, originally compiled into binder form, consists of papers stating the position of the NMA on a variety of issues such as depletion laws, the environment, mining laws, Mackay School of Mines, and access to minerals, to name a few. All appeared either on NMA stationery or in the NMA Newsletter. Arranged alphabetically by name of issue.

 

Series 6 - 88-43/I/6. NMA Issued Reports. 1953-1972. Box 1.

These reports were written by NMA officers and either published in the NMA Newsletter or presented as testimony before the House Select Small Business Committee. Arranged chronologically.

88-43/I/6/1. "Monetary Policy." Testimony by Roy A. Hardy before the House Select Small Business Committee. April 25, 1953.

- "The Precious Metal Approach to a Long Range Minerals Policy for Nevada and the Western States." By Paul Gemmill - A Personal Viewpoint. Sept. 1, 1958.

88-43/I/6/2. "Silver Facts Related to Nevada." Excerpt from Nevada Mining Association Newsletter #139, Oct., 1964.

- "Discourse on Reserves Vis-a-Vis Geological Potential of Mineral Commodities in a Recognized Mineral Province." By Paul Gemmill, Jan. 24, 1968.

- "The Prospect of Reward." By Paul Gemmill, Jan. 25, 1968.

- "Water in Nevada's Mineral Industry." By Paul Gemmill, Sept. 24, 1970.

- "Ecology and the Mining Industry." By Paul Gemmill, Sept. 25, 1970.

- "Legislation and the Small Miner: AIME Pacific Southwest Mineral Industry Conference." By Paul Gemmill, April 19, 1972.

 

Series 7 - 88-43/I/7. Miscellaneous Reports. 1917-1973. Box 1-2.

This series consists of reports compiled from a number of different sources on topics related to mining and Nevada. They include important sources of primary research material, including lists of mining wages over a period of time, both in Nevada and other western states; taxation of mines; and histories and assessment reports of some Nevada mining companies. Other reports deal with more general topics such as gold, silver, petroleum, tungsten, lead, mineral land withdrawal, depletion, and pollution. Unarranged.

Box 1

88-43/I/7/1. Taxation of mines. 1924-1949; n.d.

88-43/I/7/2-3. Nevada wage rates (overall). 1913-1952; n.d.

88-43/I/7/4-6. Nevada wage rates for individual mines. 1920-1943.

88-43/I/7/7-8. Wage rates in other states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, "Western States." 1921-1936.

 

Box 2

88-43/I/7/9. Statement and brief of Homestake Mining Company in Support of Protest Against Proposed Duty of Cyanide Sales, etc. 1921.

88-43/I/7/9. "American Silver Producers Association." By W. Mont. Ferry. [1924].

- "What Can be Done for Silver?" Paper read by F.H. Brownell, American Smelting and Refining Company, before the American Silver Producers Association. 1926.

- Report of the Nevada State Bureau of Mines for the Period Jan. 1, 1921 - Dec. 31, 1932. 1933.

- American Smelting and Mining Company. Statement Showing High, Low and Yearly Average Prices on Copper, Lead, Zinc, Silver and Gold for the years 1881-1947, Inclusively.

88-43/I/7/10. "Economics of Small Milling Plants." By W.L. Zeigler. [1935].

- "Power Market Survey, State of Nevada." Federal Power Commission, Bureau of Power, San Francisco Regional Office. 1949.

88-43/I/7/11. Address Delivered by Hon. Herbert Hoover Before the American Mining Congress. Sept. 30, 1936.

- "Stream Pollution and the Mining Industry." Robert M. Searls. Sept. 7, 1937.

- "Roads to Mining Industries." Francis A. Thomson. Sept. 7, 1937.

- "Mineral Land Withdrawals." Sept. 7, 1937.

- "Why Percentage Depletion?" Leo J. Hoban. Sept. 7, 1937.

- Statement of Mining Congressmen Opposing Reduction of Existing Tariff Rates on Lead and Zinc. Mar. 15, 1938.

- "Effect of the Canadian Reciprocal Trade Treaty on the Tri-State District." Nov. 26, 1938.

88-43/I/7/12. Iron.

88-43/I/7/13. Petroleum.

88-43/I/7/14. Silver.

88-43/I/7/15. Twentieth Century Mines, Ltd. Appraisal report by Louis D. Gordon. 1955.

88-43/I/7/16-17. Mellan Gold Mines. Report by Louis D. Gordon. 1954.

88-43/I/7/18. Round Mountain Gold Dredging Corporation. 1958.

88-43/I/7/19. Kennecott Copper Company. 1950-1960.

88-43/I/7/20. Nevada Consolidated Copper Company. 1917.

88-43/I/7/21. Preliminary Report on the Geology, Mineralization and Ore Potential of the Klondike Group of Mining Claims. Alpha Mining District, Eureka County, Nevada. By W. Van der Ley. 1977.

88-43/I/7/22. Nevada Open Pit Mining. By William J. Newman. April, 1956.

88-43/I/7/23. A Reclamation Plan for Beacon Pit Mine, Battle Mountain, Nevada. n.d.

88-43/I/7/24. Mineral Resources of the Blue Lake Proposed Primitive Area, Humboldt County, Nevada. By Reb E. Bennett. 1973.

88-43/I/7/25. Early Days at the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, Ely, Nevada. By F. Sommer Schmidt. [1958]. Also includes correspondence between Schmidt and Louis Gordon.

88-43/I/7/26. Speech to Republican Women's Club of Reno on the Gold Standard. No author. 1955.

88-43/I/7/27. "Nevada Mines." By the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. 1955.

88-43/I/7/28. Statement of the American Tungsten Association. 1946.

88-43/I/7/29. Memorandum of Western State Legislation of 1927.

 

Series 8 - 88-43/I/8. Miscellaneous. 1916-1945; n.d. Box 2.

This series consists of four folders of varied content, including correspondence regarding and a contract for construction of a memorial to Key Pittman; a NMA's membership certificate from the National Safety Council; maps of the New California Tonopah Mine and the Tonopah Mining District; and assorted newspaper clippings about the opening of a new Bureau of Mines, "no strike legislation", the opening of the Newmont Mine; and land use planning.

88-43/I/8/1. Key Pittman memorial. 1945.

88-43/I/8/2. Membership certificate of NMA in the National Safety Council. 1916.

88-43/I/8/3. Maps: New California Tonopah Mine; Tonopah Mining District. n.d.

88-43/I/8/4. Newspaper clippings.

 

Subgroup II. Nevada Industrial Commission. 1913-1950.

The Nevada Industrial Commission was created in 1913 as a result of the passage of the Nevada Workman's Compensation Act on March 15, 1913. That act created an industrial insurance commission, provided for the creation and disbursement of funds for the compensation and care of workmen injured in the course of employment (or for their dependents when the injury resulted in death), and defined and regulated the liability of employers to their employees. The creation of this act coincided closely with the date of the creation of the Nevada Mining Association, and from the beginning was a chief concern of the Association, since premiums were paid to the insurance fund by employers, a large percentage of whom were mine owners. It became customary for a member of the NMA to hold a position on the Commission, enabling the Association to monitor closely the basis upon which claims were paid to injured or deceased miners and also the rates which mine owners paid for this insurance. As a result, this subgroup contains information about claims paid, lists of contributors which show premium payments, correspondence (sometimes recommending NMA members for positions on the Commission), and court transcripts for cases in which the Commission was a defendant.

 

Series 1 - 88-43/II/1. State Statutes Enabling the Commission. 1913-1951. Box 2.

This series of pamphlets provides the texts of Nevada state laws which created the Workmen's Compensation Act of 1913 and subsequent amendments; manuals of rates and rules of procedures; general safety orders; report of the Commission concerning occupational diseases; employment security laws; Nevada Occupational Diseases Act; and medical fee schedule. Arranged chronologically by date of legislation.

 

Series 2 - 88-43/II/2. Financial Statements. 1913-1950. Box 2.

This series documents the financial impact of the Commission through charts of claims presented and paid, lists of contributors, balance sheets of the State Insurance Fund, details of "accident experience" in the mining industry, and financial accounts of members of the NMA with the Commission. Arranged chronologically by date of filing.

 

Series 3 - 88-43/II/3. Correspondence. 1913-1933. Box 2.

This group of correspondence consists of letters to the Nevada Mining Association from the Commission. Topics include appointments of commissioners, assessment of the net proceeds of mines, the sale of bonds, analysis of the experience of the Commission (1917), and the Tonopah labor dispute of 1921. Arranged chronologically.

 

Series 4 - 88-43/II/4. Accidents. Box 2.

This series contains correspondence and reports related to actual accidents in the mining industry, as well as to accident prevention. In conjunction with those items are included tentative general safety orders of the Nevada Industrial Commission, lists of occupational diseases, classifications of accident causes for the ore reduction industry, and recommendations on accident prevention. Arranged chronologically.

 

Series 5 - 88-43/II/5. Legal Documents. 1916-1921. Box 2.

Included in this series are partial transcripts for three Nevada court cases: Ernest E. Brown vs Nevada Industrial Commission, 1916-1917; E.D. Virden vs George D. Smith, John Madison Gray, F.W. Ingram, and Nevada Industrial Insurance Commission, ca 1921; and J. Holman Buck vs Henry Boerlin, B.F. Baker, and J. H. Wichman, as members of the Board of County Commissioners of Mineral County, Nevada, 1921. Arranged chronologically.

 

 

Subgroup III. American Institute of Mining Engineers. 1916-1958. Box 2.

The American Institute of Mining Engineers (A.I.M.E.) is a national corporation whose goals are to promote the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of useful minerals and metals; to foster the welfare of those employed in such industries by means of meetings for social exchange, reading, and discussion of professional papers; and to publish those papers for the education of members. Among the many regional branches of the A.I.M.E. is the Nevada section, organized in 1916, which meets yearly and which follows the general goals of its parent organization. This subgroup includes correspondence related to the installation of the Nevada section and to annual meetings; bylaws; pamphlets of recommendations for uniform laws for registration of engineers; and annual meeting programs, reports, and roll calls.

88-43/III/1. Proposed bylaws, Nevada Section. [1923].

88-43/III/2. Correspondence, 1915-1958.

88-43/III/3. Printed materials. 1920-1929; n.d.

88-43/III/4. Annual meeting programs, reports, and roll call. 1916-1930.

 

Subgroup IV. Silver Centennial Committee. 1883; 1956-1959. Box 2.

This small subgroup of materials represents the working papers of the Committee as collected by one of its members, Louis D. Gordon, who was also executive secretary of the NMA. This committee organized and financed celebrations commemorating the discovery of silver in Nevada; these records reflect those activities. Included are bylaws; minutes of committee meetings; correspondence; reports, including a final audit statement; programs for events held in conjunction with the centennial; a speech by Gordon upon laying the cornerstone of a monument in Virginia City to commemorate the centennial; a list of cornerstones laid by the Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Nevada; and excerpts from Monographs of the U.S.G.S., Vol. IV, "Comstock Mining and Miners," by Eliot Lord.

88-43/IV/1. Correspondence, bylaws, minutes. 1956-1959.

88-43/IV/2. Programs, 1958-1959.

88-43/IV/3. Speech by Louis D. Gordon; list of cornerstones; auditor's financial report. 1958-1959.

88-43/IV/4. Excerpts from Monographs of the U.S.G.S., Vol. IV, "Comstock Mining and Miners" by Eliot Lord. 1883.

 

Subgroup V. Bicentennial Commission for Nevada. 1974-1975. Box 2.

This subgroup consists almost entirely of correspondence from the Commission to the NMA, dealing with the subject of issuing commemorative coins with the assistance of the NMA. There is one document which is not correspondence; that is a copy of the minutes of a special meeting of the NMA for Sept. 21, 1974, when the Association was addressed by Vicki Nash, director of the Commission. Arranged chronologically.

 

 

Subgroup VI. United Western Miners. Kempvane and New. 1948-1959. Box 2.

This small subgroup documents activities of a "break-away" organization of miners, organized by W.R. New of Hailey, Idaho, and J.C. Kempvane of Auburn, California. Correspondence in this folder indicates that it was not supported by the Nevada Mining Association nor the related organizations in Idaho, California, and Utah. In addition to correspondence, this subgroup contains newspaper clippings, typescripts of articles, and testimony before Congress. Arranged chronologically.

 

Subgroup VII. American Federation of Labor. 1921; 1924. Box 2.

Included in this subgroup are two reports of proceedings of annual conventions of the American Federation of Labor. Each includes summations and/or transcripts of speeches, reports of items of business, votes cast on issues, financial reports, and resolutions submitted. Arranged chronologically.

Manuscripts | Special Collections

Please direct questions to Jacquelyn Sundstrand
Updated June 23, 2008